Naruto: Chunnin Exams Take 2!
by NamikazeMinato99
Summary: The Konoha 11  minus Naruto  travel to the Sand Village to participate in the Chunnin Exams. No pairings. COMPLETED
1. Prologue

Prologue

"Everyone who tries to leave, has to go through this road"

"I know what happened to your family, but revenge can't bring you happiness"

"Please, stay with me and if you can't, take me with you!"

"Sasuke, if you try to leave I'll scream and, and then-"

"Sakura… Thank you"

"NO!" she screamed, her voice piercing the silence of the night. She breathed heavily, fighting back the tears. Surveying her surroundings, it became clear that, once again, she had been dreaming. It had been the same dream for the best part of the year and it always ended in the same way: failure.

"Sakura" her mother called from outside the bedroom, "are you alright?"

"Yes" she replied, "it was just a dream, that's all."

Except, it wasn't just a dream. It was a manifestation of her guilt. She had allowed Sasuke to leave the village and knew that anything that happened to him afterwards was partly her fault. She was also aware of the burden she had placed on her other teammate Naruto, who was had left the village himself with Master Jiraiya, enduring some of the toughest training imaginable in order to keep the promise she made him make.

Sakura reached over to her bedside table and picked up the photo of Team 7 that she had left there. The picture conjured up feelings of both joy and sadness, with more recent events souring her precious memories of the best time of her life. She felt tears form in her eyes, but fought them back. She promised herself that she was not going to cry about this. Not anymore. Naruto would not have to bear this burden alone. She had made her own promise to help, to bring Sasuke back with her own two hands. Things were changing; she wasn't that helpless little girl anymore. She was training under Lady Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin and the current Hokage. She had to be strong, had to live up to her master's high expectations. Sakura Haruno was not going to be a dead weight anymore.

With that decided, she lay back down to try and get some more rest. Any day training under the Hokage is tiring, but going through it with barely any sleep would be worse. As she lay there, she snuck one more glance at that old team photo and drifted off to sleep dreaming of the day when they would be reunited once again.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Rookies no More!

YAWN

If such a word could describe anyone, it would be Shikamaru Nara. A talented shinobi, probably one of the best tacticians in Konoha and possibly a future Hokage candidate, that finds everything too troublesome and would rather spend his life laying around playing Shogi. The fact that he was seen as a genius did little to boost his ego. In fact, it just made him worry that he would be labored with more responsibility and work. To top it off, he found himself standing in the Hokage's office early in the morning and judging by Lady Tsunade's serious demeanor, his day was only going to get more troublesome.

"Shikamaru" Tsunade yelled, "I'm tired of telling you, stand up straight when you are in here."

"I'm sorry", he replied, not sounding sorry at all "but dragging me out here at this time in the morning is such a drag. I'd rather be in bed like a normal person."

Tsunade let that one go, despite her annoyance at his attitude. After being in this job for a year now, she knew how to handle Shikamaru and that, in spite of what he says, he's reliable to get the job done.

"Anyway, you can relax" she said, "this mission isn't too difficult and you won't even have to leave the village."

"Well, what is it?" Shikamaru asked, not really that interested.

"The Chunnin exams are being held in the Sand Village later in the month" she said " and I need you to inform our top Genin of this."

"The Chunnin exams huh?" he replied, "I guess I was wondering when they were next taking place. Hopefully they'll be a little less eventful than last time."

"Yes" Tsunade said, "a return to normality would be beneficial for all of us."

There was a small pause as both reflected on the events of the last exams, when another of the Sannin, Orochimaru, had invaded the village and killed the previous Hokage, not before tempting Sasuke Uchiha and eventually luring him away from the village. Tsunade herself was not present when it happened but she had been left to deal with the aftermath and the village had only just recovered.

"Wait a minute" Shikamaru said, interrupting the silence "if that's all I have to do, then why am I here at this time in the morning?"

"Well" Tsunade replied "I need you to sort through this paperwork in order to gain permit's to travel to the Sand Village. There's a lot there so I thought you could do with the early start."

Shikamaru muttered something under his breath as he skulked over to collect the pile of papers. However, something on the first paper caught his eye.

"What!" he cried, "Why is there a permit here for me?"

"Well" Tsunade responded, "your going to be accompanying our party to the sand village. Usually we would only send Jonin, but were still a little thin on the ground so you'll have to go as well."

"I thought you said I wouldn't even have to leave the village" Shikamaru said, clearly distraught at the idea of the extra work that was now involved.

"Well" Tsunade laughed, slightly enjoying the distress in Shikamaru's voice, "I only meant you wouldn't have to leave the village to complete the first part of the mission."

Shikamaru didn't quite share the same enthusiasm for the joke and after bidding good day, turned and left the room. As Tsunade listened to his footsteps fade away, she was sure she could hear the words "this is such a drag" being repeated over and over again.

After filling out the paperwork, which took longer than expected, Shikamaru set out to inform the teams of the upcoming event. Firstly, he told Team 10, probably the most varied team of the genin. Whereas Kiba reacted excitedly and loudly to the news, Hinata had responded only with a nervous cough and a quite word of thanks to Shikamaru for bringing them the news. Shino barely said anything, instead he stood and frowned never giving away his thoughts.

Next up was Team Gai, who he wasn't looking forward to visiting. The excitable and almost childlike enthusiasm of Gai and Rock Lee clashed with Shikamaru's more relaxed approach and consequently they just got on his nerves. He had heard they were at the training field and he arrived not knowing what to expect, but wasn't really surprised by what he saw. Gai was giving his squad a lecture, with Lee hanging onto his every word while Neji and TenTen were doing there best to look interested, but their body language betrayed their true feelings. As Shikamaru got closer, he could hear parts of the conversation, which mostly seemed to consist of the phrase "Power of Youth". Shikamaru decided he should make his presence known, as listening to Gai's ramblings were often too troublesome for him.

"Hey", Shikamaru said, not bothering to use any more words than were necessary.

"Shikamaru!" Lee responded, acting as if he hadn't seen Shikamaru in years, even though they had done a mission together last week. "What brings you here? Do you want to see what it's like to do some real training?"

Just thinking of training with Gai made Shikamaru feel ill and after seeing Gai's face light up, he realized he would have to respond fast.

"Oh no, that's not it. I'm here under the orders of the Hokage to give you guys a message."

"A message" Neji replied "What message would that be?"

Neji's eyes were as intense as ever as he asked the question. Shikamaru had grown to like him after spending more time with him following their failed mission to retrieve Sasuke after he left the village.

"Well" Shikamaru started "The Chunnin Exams are being held in the Sand Village later this month and I'm here to give you your paperwork in case you wanted to go."

" Of course we want to go," said TenTen, who Shikamaru considered to be the only normal one in the team.

"Yeah" roared Gai; clearly excited by the news "you can be sure that Team Gai would never back down from a challenge. All right guys, the Chunnin Exams. Let's go!"

"Yes Gai Sensei!" was Lee's reply, who had already lined up behind Gai and was ready to go.

"Were not going anywhere until the end of the month" Neji said, who was seemed to be at the end of his patience with his Sensei and teammate "did you not listen to what Shikamaru just said?"

"Oh" was Gai's reply, slightly embarrassed, "well good, that just gives us more time to train. All right guys, let's go run 200 laps around the village. After that we'll do our warm up."

Lee's loud reply of "yes Gai Sensei" easily overpowered Neji and TenTen's exasperated mutterings. Regardless, all four went to go run laps, with only Neji and TenTen remembering to say goodbye to Shikamaru. After a huge sigh of relief, Shikamaru went to go inform the next team, which was his own: Team 8.

"What!" Ino screamed, surprised at the news Shikamaru had just delivered. "You're only just telling us this now! You could have at least told us, your teammates this news a little earlier. Don't you care about us at all?

"Oh man" Choji whispered, only just loud enough for people to hear "The Chunnin Exams. I have to go through that again."

Shikamaru let out a sigh. This was the reaction he was expecting. Ino tends to just yell without thinking and Choji's confidence in himself was almost non-existent.

"Come on Ino give me a break " Shikamaru said, "I only just found out myself this morning. You think I'd keep this kind of thing a secret from you guys? And Choji, don't worry. Your as good as anyone else that's going to be there, you'll do fine."

Choji seemed more satisfied with Shikamaru's response than Ino, who just let out a very loud "Humph" and flicked her head to the other side.

"Well" Asuma, Team 8's leader, said, "you have another problem to consider at the moment. The exams require a three-man team and Shikamaru can't participate because he's already a Chunnin. You guys need to find a new third member."

Everyone was deep in thought about this for a second before looking up and staring at Shikamaru. He let out another big sigh, knowing they were expecting him to come up with an answer. Unsurprisingly, he did have one but he had been holding out on it, knowing it wasn't going to go down well with Ino.

"Well" Shikamaru began "the only Genin without a team at the moment is Sakura."

"What!" Ino shouted, reacting exactly as expected "no way I am not working with her!"

"Calm down Ino" Asuma said, "you know you don't have a choice. In any case, this could be good for you. Sometimes as a shinobi you have to work with people you don't like. You're just going to have to deal with it."

Ino wasn't completely satisfied with that, but it at least stopped her whining. As Lady Tsunade herself was informing Sakura of the exams, Shikamaru was done for now. He left and went home, looking forward to lying down and going to bed.

Later in the month, the genin, their team leaders and various other travellers all gathered at the main gate to the village. There was a slightly tense atmosphere as they prepared to leave. Hinata was shaking slightly, and her breathing was becoming slightly erratic.

"Hinata", Neji said, sounding stern "you've progressed so much in the past year. You are ready for this. Don't let those old doubts drag you down."

Hinata smiled at this. Before the last exams, Neji had despised her and her family. He was someone for her to fear, who even went as far as trying to kill her in battle. However, over the past year they had bonded and she now viewed him as a protective older brother. In any case, his words were comforting.

"Thank you, and yes I will" was her reply.

The Hokage was standing before them, ready to see them off. She coughed, announcing that she was ready to speak. Everyone stopped speaking and focused. Tsunade may not be revered in the same way as the Third Hokage was but she still demanded a certain amount of respect.

"So," Tsunade began "obviously I want to wish you all luck. I myself will arrive in the Sand Village for the final round and I hope to see you all competing. I guess the last thing to do is to introduce you to the person that will be in charge of you all while I'm not there."

Tsunade extended her arms out, clearly waiting for something that never came. Tsunade let out a sigh and checked the watch on her arm.

"Late as usual" she said. Suddenly, there was a gasp of white smoke at the side of her and a familiar voice began talking.

"Sorry I'm late everyone. A child's cat was stuck up a tree so I had to get it down for her."

The excuse brought a laugh from everyone present, who were all used to his excuses for being late.

"Kakashi, will you ever change?" Tsunade sighed, although a smile also escaped her lips afterwards.

Kakashi Hatake, or Copy Ninja Kakashi as everyone outside of Konoha know him, surveyed the group of people in front of him. Since the breakdown of his own team, Kakashi had been going on missions alone and hadn't been able to see much of any of them.

"Well" Kakashi said, "you all seemed to have changed and I don't just mean in appearance. Last time, you all didn't know what to expect and were anxious about the task in front of you. Now, you go into this with your heads held high and experience behind you. I speak for all present when I say that we are all proud of your progress. You are no longer the rookies that people doubted. You are Chunnin in the making, so go and do what we all know you can!"

The speech cheered everyone up and they all headed out full of confidence. Tsunade let out a little laugh as they all walked away, with the loudest sound being Gai, saying, "Just what I'd expect from my rival!"


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Proof of Growth

Sakura was leading the way in their journey to the Sand Village. Kakashi's speech definitely raised morale amongst the others. For Sakura, it didn't change much. She needed to get stronger, needed to be able to keep up with the gains that Naruto was undoubtedly making. She sighed then, as she thought about her teammate. Despite her love for Sasuke, she realized that she was missing Naruto just as much. His enthusiasm and goofy ways always cheered her up, even when things were looking hopeless.

"Sakura", Ino whispered, looking around to make sure no one else could hear. "So listen, we need to talk about our strategy one more time."

Sakura rolled her eyes at this one. Ino had only agreed to team up with Sakura as long as it was established that she would be the leader of the group. Ino had been quick to establish her authority, constantly setting times for meetings and bossing Sakura around at every chance. In the past, this would have bothered Sakura. Given the change in circumstances, Sakura accepted this as a necessary sacrifice.

"Alright, we'll drop back a little to discuss if you want" Sakura replied. Ino didn't seem overly pleased with Sakura's lack of protest, but gathered her team at the back of the group.

After training to be a ninja, it's impossible to look at the world the same way again. Any slight inconsistency in nature, any small problem that almost everybody else would shrug off is a sign of possible danger. It could be just a small puddle that shouldn't be there, or an animal that is slightly different shade than it should be. In this case, it was the falling of five leaves off a tree on a day with no wind that first alerted Sakura that they were in trouble. It seemed, however, that she wasn't the only one.

"What was that?" Kiba yelled, his concern being echoed in the loud and panicked barks of his trusted partner Akamaru.

"Earth Style: Mud Wall" came the cry from the shadows as the ground beneath them suddenly rose up, creating a solid wall of earth in the middle of the road. The speed at which the attack happened was frightening. Instantly, it became obvious what had happened.

"They've separated us from the Jonin" Sakura yelled "be on guard, an attack could come at any time. Neji and Hinata, search the trees with your Byakugan for any sign of the enemy. Everyone else, Formation C." Everybody did as they were told. Even though they were all planning on doing this anyway, they were impressed with the way Sakura took control of the situation. However, they were still in deep trouble. The third Hokage once used that technique, so it was obvious they were dealing with talented enemies.

Suddenly, the sound of fighting broke out on the other side of the wall. The piercing clang of clashing metal filled the air as each side traded blows of Shrunken and Kunai. The enemy was trying to scare the less experienced Genin by attacking their teachers first.

"There", Neji shouted as Shrunken flew out of the forest. TenTen reacted, exchanging with some her own. She was able to deflect all of them, her reputation as being 100% accurate being shown as 100% correct. Quick as a flash, the enemy appeared, 10 ninja with black masks jumping out of the forest. Without a second to waste, everybody reacted. The amount of enemies who attacked at once made the fight seem a blur. There was a spectacular clash of jutsu that practically lit up the sky. The enemy ninja were backed into the middle of the road and suddenly stopped moving. Panic stricken, they looked around searching for a reason. It didn't take long for them to find one.

"Shadow Possession successful." Shikamaru said, smirking as he did. "Now, tell us who you are and what you're purpose for attacking us is."

One of the men laughed at the question. "You think you've got us don't you?" he said, still laughing sadistically. "Well-"

"Sakura" Neji and Hinata yelled as another masked ninja rushed behind her. His speed was outstanding, almost too fast for the Byakugan to spot. Sakura was caught and a Kunai was held to her throat. The cold steel was held tight to her skin, a reminder that one wrong move would lead to death.

"Now, release your jutsu or she dies" this new foe demanded, his voice having an almost snakelike quality to it. The voice itself instantly reminded Sakura of Orochimaru and the very comparison made her blood boil. She closed her eyes, wiling herself to remember her training. Now was the time to put it to use. Now was the time to prove herself.

"Quickly boy" he hissed, "she has about 5 seconds left."

Shikamaru's grin returned to his face.

"Actually", he said, "I think you're the one who's running out of time."

Just after Shikamaru was finished, Sakura let out a yell as she forced her elbow into her captor's stomach, sending him crashing into the wall behind them. Sakura had forced chakra into her arm in order to strengthen her attack and overpower her opponent.

"Now then", Shikamaru started "like I said, tell us what we want to know."

Their lead man began to laugh again, although this time it sounded far less threatening. He looked up at the top of the wall and said, "Well Kakashi, how'd they do?"

Kakashi, who was sat on top of the wall, responded, "About as well as expected. Nice hit there Sakura, although I'm sure that our friend here won't be too pleased about it."

There was confusion amongst the group about what had just taken place. Although, Shikamaru had it figured out.

"So, this was all just a test to see how they did? Could have told me guys," Shikamaru said, seemingly joking with his anger about not being told of the plan.

"Well that would have ruined the fun" Asuma responded, "plus we know how much you hate work."

Shikamaru released his jutsu and the group continued on their journey. Everybody else's spirits were raised even higher based on their success and Sakura tried to join in but mostly kept her excitement to a minimum. She may have been able to get out of it, but for a second there she had been careless. She allowed herself to be caught from behind and in another situation could have been killed. These mistakes will not bring Sasuke back. She breathed in and out to relieve the pressure. This won't happen again. Next time, she'll be ready.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Arrival

"Chidori Stream!"

Waves of electricity shot out of his body. At first glance, it appeared that the boy was under attack. However, it was quite the opposite. He was controlling the waves himself, shooting them out of his body willingly. The distinctive sound of birds chirping still emanated from him, a tribute to the original jutsu that was taught to him a lifetime ago.

The boy's master watched on, astounded by what he sees.

"He picks everything up so quickly, so naturally" he thought. "They called me a genius when I was younger, but he is something else. Of course, all this strength will only benefit me in the end."

He laughed to himself, a snakelike hiss escaping his lips. His plan was coming together nicely. Soon, the sharingan would be his and then he would be unstoppable.

"Sasuke" he hissed, "why don't you take a break, hrmm? You've been training for hours. We wouldn't want you to ruin that body of yours now would we."

Sasuke stared back at Orochimaru, his blood red eyes staring into Orochimaru's very soul.

"I'll train as long as I want. Stop trying to boss me around."

"Now, now. I'm tired of telling you, Sasuke. Speak to Lord Orochimaru with the dignity he deserves."

Kabuto, Orochimaru's loyal assistant, had appeared.

"Well Kabuto" Orochimaru said, ignoring the brief exchange that had just taken place "what did you find out from your travels?"

"Not as much as I hoped" Kabuto sighed, "the Akatsuki are still laying low. Apparently your replacement has been selected. A young man from the Hidden Stone Village named Deidera. He's an explosives expert, possessing a rare kekkei genkai. Oh, and the Chunnin Exams are being held in the Sand Village this month."

"The Chunnin Exams?" Orochimaru replied, with a hint of laughter in his voice "what do you make of that, Sasuke?"

Sasuke had already turned away from Orochimaru and was heading towards the exit.

"Like I care, I'm done with all of that" he said, although his voice didn't sound as convincing as his words.

Arriving at the Sand Village, Kakashi couldn't help but be impressed. The walls surrounding the village were incredibly high and secure and only parted to reveal a narrow passageway. The claustrophobic passage contrasted with the hugely vast village it led to. Standing on top of the highest point of the village, the entire party of travellers stopped to take it all in. Whereas the Leaf Village had houses made of wood and bricks, the Sand Village had dome shaped buildings that appeared to be one with the ground it was on. Everything appeared to be simpler, yet it did not take away from the beauty of the village.

"Welcome" came a familiar voice. " I hope you enjoy your stay in our humble village."

The voice came from a man named Baki, who walked over to them. The last time Kakashi had seen him, they had been enemies. Now however, the Villages were allies once again. It can be difficult to be friendly with someone who had wanted to destroy everything you hold dear, but in the current system it was necessary.

"Thank you" was Kakashi's reply "I'm sure we will. Now, we would appreciate it if we could go to our rooms to get some rest. First, however, I would like to have a meeting with your Kazekage if that's possible.

"Oh" Baki said, looking slightly uncomfortable. "I see. Well, my assistant here will show you to your rooms. If you would like to come with me, I will take you to see our council."

The rest of the group went with nameless Sand Chunnin as Kakashi followed Baki. Once the rest of the group was out of earshot, Baki turned to Kakashi.

"Listen", he said, " we are still currently without a Kazekage. The Village elders and top Jonin have been running the Village ever since Orochimaru murdered the fourth. We haven't been able to agree on any Kazekage candidates. We are hoping to appoint someone soon but as for now any questions you might have can be directed to me."

"Well", Kakashi replied, "I understand. I only wanted to ask on the progress of your Jinchuriki Gaara. I don't want to put my students in danger in these exams, we had quite enough of that last time."

"I understand", Baki said, "but you don't have to worry there. Gaara's changed. Ever since returning from the last exams he has become much more calm and caring. There shouldn't be any problem."

With that, Kakashi took his leave. Tomorrow was going to be a huge day, and he needed his rest almost as much as the Genin did.

The most talented Genin to ever come out of Konoha was what some said. Others said that the Hyuga bloodline flowed strongest in his genes. All agree on one thing: Neji Hyuga is a genius. The boy from the outer branch who figured out the main branch techniques on his own, Neji appeared to have a great future ahead of him and it was expected that he would return to the Village as a Chunnin.

Neji had a lot of confidence in himself. In the past he was arrogant, believing all of the hype that was said about him. Now, he had learned to be more humble and caring towards others. That was the lesson he learned from Naruto Uzumaki. He often wondered what Naruto was doing and how his training was progressing. Now, though was not the time to wonder. He was standing in the room for the exams, waiting for the first test to begin. The room was full of nervous mutterings and chatter. Neji was relaxed, just like the rest of the Konoha Genin. They had been through this before and passed easily enough and they all intended to so again. The only difference was their competition, with some new faces scattered amongst the familiar opponents. Three of those opponents approached them.

"Hey guys", said the tallest who was wearing odd purple face paint, "how you doing? Hope you guys have improved since the last time we met!"

"Kankuro!" Kiba replied, "So, you guys are competing as well huh? Guess I'm not surprised, this is your village after all."

The smallest amongst them spoke next. His voice was softer, barely above a whisper as he spoke.

"Where is Naruto? I thought he would be here with you?"

"Naruto is off training" Lee responded, his loud and excited voice echoing through the room "with Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin." He gave a thumbs up, although it was largely ignored.

"I see" was the reply. The speaker was Gaara, the youngest of the three siblings. His brother and sister, Kankuro and Temari, seemed concerned about him, as they knew he was looking forward to seeing Naruto again. Neji studied Gaara and could see that he to had changed; Naruto was good at doing that. His eyes, that were full of anger and hate, had mellowed. They still betrayed his pain that he felt inside but at least now he wasn't a threat to others.

This train of thought was interrupted as Baki entered the room.

"Welcome" his voice boomed out across the room, "To the first exam. My name is Baki and I will be your proctor. Now, I am warning you. This won't be easy and if you want to leave now is you last chance."

Nobody left, as everyone knew what they were getting into. Baki smiled at this unfolded a parchment.

"Alright then. When I call your name come forward and enter the room behind me. Each person will go through this first test alone, but if you fail then your whole team fails so be aware of that. The Chunnin Exams have now begun."


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Deception

"First up is Keano Yura from the Sand Village."

A small boy with messy brown black hair and a look of terror in his eyes shuffled towards the front. His breathing was erratic as he approached Baki, who seemed thoroughly unimpressed with the boy's lack of confidence.

"Walk into this room. The test will begin immediately. Everybody else may talk amongst themselves while the test is conducted."

Chatter instantly broke out amongst the various groups, with the same topic being discussed by everyone.

"So we have to just wait around?" Ino said, impatient as ever, "We'll be here for hours. Look how many people are in this room if everyo-"

Ino was cut off as Baki re-entered the room.

"Keano Yura has failed. Due to the rules of the exams, his teammates Minoru Aomori and Isamu Yamagata have also failed. Next up is Shou Sata of the Hidden Cloud Village."

A tall and muscular man with a shaved head and carrying several katana entered the next room. However, he too failed within moments and the atmosphere in the room suddenly became tense. What could possibly be going on in there?

"Oh man", moaned Choji, his stomach growling, "This test is going to be so difficult. How are people failing so quickly?"

Neji was tempted to look into the next room with his Byakugan in order to gain an advantage, but he chose not to. Maybe it was due to that bit of arrogance that still remained in him, but he felt he would pass this test without resorting to that. Still, it appeared that this would be more difficult than the first test at the previous exams was.

Dozens of names were called out and not a single one had passed. The nervous whisperings of earlier died down. Panic was beginning to set in amongst the genin as everybody contemplated their fate. Finally, Baki entered the room once more and gave the message Neji had been hoping for.

"Neji Hyuga of the Hidden Leaf Village", he called out "your up next."

Neji stood up from his seat and began walking over to the testing room. He received wishes of good luck from his teammates (with Lee in particular making his feelings very clear) before entering the room. However, what he saw there shocked him to his very core. He stood completely still for a second, stunned at the sight.

"What the?" Baki said, following Neji inside "What is this?"

Five Sand Village Jonin lay dead on the floor. There was little sign of a struggle and the wounds of the victims were neat and precise. Whoever did this knew what they were doing.

"You!" Baki cried, but before either he or Neji could react he hit the floor. The cold and blank stare in his eyes as well as the clean but deep cut in his neck made it was obvious that he was dead. Neji tried to move, but he found he was stuck to the floor.

"Is this part of the exam?" Neji wondered, "Either way I have to stay on my guard. Firstly, I have to get out of this paralysis"

"Not quite figured it out yet?" came a gruff, yet eerie voice, "Surely a shinobi from the Leaf Village would be able to spot one of their most famous Jutsu?"

Neji looked down and had realized exactly what had happened. He was careless for not noticing before.

"Shadow Possession Jutsu", Neji grumbled, 'I didn't know that anybody outside of the Nara clan knew this Jutsu."

"More arrogance shown by the Leaf yet again", the voice replied, "That always has been and always will be your village's greatest weakness."

Out of the corner of his eye, Neji noticed a shape form. He molded himself from the shadows in a way Neji had never seen before. A hooded figure stood there, wearing a peculiar looking mask that resembled a cat.

"A member of the ANBU", Neji realized, "that's why he had such little trouble dealing with these Jonin."

"It's been frustrating having to wait for you Neji" the masked man said, clearly enjoying the position of power he was in. "Watching these fools pretending to interview the other worthless Genin, trying to coax useless information they already knew out of them. My methods however are much more effective and the information I want from you is of actual importance and not for some pathetic exam."

"You want information from me? What do you think I could possibly know? I'm only a Genin.

"Yes" came the man's impatient reply "but you are also of the famous Hyuga clan. You in particular are a favourite of the head of the Clan, Lord Hiashi. You know a great deal more about the Village than you should."

This crazed man was right. Neji had learned some important information about the Village recently, information that could be damaging should it fall into enemy hands. Neji did not plan on giving away what he had learned easily.

"So what if I do" Neji shot back, "I'm not going to tell you. Try all you want I won't talk."

"Oh, I intend to", was the reply, with an ominous tone to his voice that suggested he wasn't going to give up easily either. Suddenly, the Shadow that was attached to Neji's feat shot up to his throat and wrapped itself around in the same way a snake would suffocate it's prey.

"Shadow Strangulation Jutsu!" the man cried, clenching his fist as he did so. The shadow tightened itself around Neji's throat, severely restricting his breathing and forcing him to choke.

"There's nothing I can do" Neji thought, panicking for the first time, "At least if he crushes my windpipe there's no way I can talk and put anyone else in danger."

Just as Neji began to feel himself lose consciousness, the restriction around his neck loosened and his breathing returned to normal.

"Stubborn as expected" were his captor's next words; "it's clear that physical torture isn't going to work on you. How about we try playing on your emotions?"

Just after he said that, the door behind Neji opened. He was able to look back and saw another masked man, who looked practically identical to the first, standing there. Behind him, Neji could see dead bodies of other Genin scattered across the floor. He instantly began to worry about the safety of his friends, but didn't allow himself to dwell on it. He had to get himself out of this mess first.

"You think killing my friends is going to make me talk?" Neji yelled, "If so, you're very much mistaken."

"Oh no, that's not our plan at all" the new enemy said, his voice also identical to Neji's original captor, "but it'll be interesting to see how much you can take of what we are going to do to this one."

From behind his back, the man dragged out Hinata, who was battered and bruised and gasping for air.

"Neji, I'm sorry," she whispered, "I couldn't stop them."

"Hinata!" Neji cried, "Are you okay, what happened to everyone else?"

"I don't know" was her meek reply, " we all got split up once they started attacking. I don't know what happened to them."

Neji felt sick. He was supposed to protect her. The pain he could already see in her eyes broke his heart. He could not allow her to suffer any more, but he could also not allow the Village to suffer because of his emotions. Neji now found himself with a monumental decision. Would he choose the Village or Hinata?

"Ok, that's enough out of you" was the masked man's reply as he hit her face with his hand. Hinata was forced to the ground by the force of the blow and struggled to get back up.

Neji's anger began to overwhelm him. It wasn't just what was happening to Hinata but this whole situation that was causing Neji's emotions to consume him. How had this happened? The security here was so thorough. Even if a couple of ANBU went rogue there was no way that they could have taken down this many Shinobi. It was impossible.

Then it all clicked. This is all impossible. It could not happen in real life. The reason Neji was seeing this was so obvious. It's NOT real life. He could see it all now. The small and subtle inconsistencies that should have alerted him sooner now made sense. He should have noticed this earlier, but he had been caught off guard and hadn't even considered this a possibility.

"Sorry", Neji said, smirking as he did, "but this game ends here." Neji closed his eyes and concentrated on his chakra. First, he cut the chakra flow in his body. Then, he surged it, disrupting the flow completely.

"Release!" he yelled as his chakra surged around his body. The dead bodies on the floor melted away, as did the two masked men and Hinata. All that was left in front on Neji now was two men sat at the desk with an impressed look on their face.

"So", the one on the left smirked, his bright blue eyes gleaming at Neji "it looks like not all the candidates this year are completely hopeless. May I ask how you figured out you were under a genjutsu?"

Neji smiled, his mood completely changing. "Firstly, your two masked assailants were exactly the same person. Secondly, it's completely impractical to have five men in this room when three can barely fit and finally, I'm certain that Shadow Possession Jutsu is not known by anybody outside the Leaf Village."

Both of the men smiled at this. "Well, now I can see why you're called a genius. Congratulations, you've passed the first exam."


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Second Round Part 1

"Come on, your not trying hard enough! You think your going to be strong enough to defend yourself from the Akatsuki if you fight like that?"

Jiraiya knocked away Naruto's latest attempt to bring him down. Truth be told he thought that the boy was making excellent progress and he was growing rather fond of him. However, Jiraiya tried his best to not get too attached. Almost everybody he cared about had left him and he was loath to let it happened again. Yet, once again he couldn't help himself. There are some people who are able to worm their way into your heart no matter how hard you try.

"Hey!" Naruto screamed, not hiding his frustration, "Your supposed to be training me here Pervy Sage, not daydreaming!"

"Hey cut me a break", Jiraiya replied, chuckling as he did, "I was just thinking about some news I heard today."

"Oh yeah like I care", Naruto said, speaking to Jiraiya in a way that almost nobody else would dare to, "it's probably about some woman or a new place for you to do research for another one of your pervy books."

"Hey, I've told you before Naruto show some respect" Jiraiya said sternly, "Those books are the work of a brilliant author and are all pieces of great literature, not that I'd expect your small mind to under-"

Jiraiya stopped himself there, not wanting to get off track.

"I mean that's not what the news is. I've heard that the Chunnin Exams are being held in the Sand Village at the minute."

"The Chunnin Exams? No way!" Naruto replied, his voice suddenly giddy and full of interest. "So, how's everyone doing?"

Jiraiya smiled. "Maybe I shouldn't tell you after the way you spoke about my books."

Jiraiya enjoyed playing with Naruto like this, the kid always gets so worked up.

"Ok, ok I'm sorry your books are really good I swear, so just tell me" he cried, now desperate for the information.

"Well", Jiraiya started, deciding that his student had suffered long enough, "it seems that the first exam has finished. All of your friends have progressed with flying colours and the second exam starts tomorrow. It seems you're not the only one improving."

Naruto smiled at this, a wider smile than Jiraiya had seen from him before.

"Alright," Naruto said, "well I have to make sure I come back ahead of all of them. Let's get going Pervy Sage!"

Naruto started his attack again, a smile still plastered across his face.

Sakura checked her backpack one more time. Everything she was going to need for the exam was in there, just as it was when she checked five minutes ago. The First Exam wasn't too difficult and she had seen through the genjutsu very quickly, but what happened was still playing on her mind. Whenever she closed her eyes, she saw Naruto's body lying on the floor and a Sand Shinobi standing there with a Kunai to Sasuke's throat, whose eyes were filled with fear. That had been what gave it away; Sasuke would never behave in such a way. Yet, it put everything in perspective. She couldn't allow herself to lose focus on her goal and fail.

"Sakura" Ino yelled, asserting her authority once more "Come on, let's go. We need to be at the entrance to the Village in ten minutes and I want to get there early to make a good impression. A shinobi who's late can never be a good shinobi."

_Try telling that to Kakashi-Sensei _Sakura thought, smiling as she thought it. Those days when her greatest worry was the amount of time it was taking for her teacher to get to a meeting seemed so long ago. She couldn't help but wonder if she'll ever do that again.

"Right", said Sakura, "I'm ready, let's go!"

At exactly the right time the Proctor for the Second Exam arrived. She was a young woman with long, flowing black hair and dark blue eyes. She reminded Sakura of Kurenai in appearance, but her personality was very much like Anko, the last Proctor of the Second Exam. Behind her were several Sand ninja, who were each, kneeling behind a scroll that had what looked like some kind of seal printed on them? Sakura deduced that they were probably going to summon something. The purpose for that was not yet clear.

"Hello everyone, my name is Katsuko Saitama and I am the Proctor for the Second Exam. I will explain it to you now." She spoke in a cocky and slightly arrogant tone. "You will be taken out into the desert you see in front of you. Each team will either be given a heaven or earth scroll. Your objective is to obtain both scrolls and return to the Village in three days. You may use whatever you deem necessary to obtain the scrolls you need. You have been given just enough supplies to survive, although if you find that you need anymore it is possible to find it in the terrain. There are a couple of lakes that have been constructed for the exam in case you run out of water but they are few and far between. Your team will fail if you don't return within three days or if you return without both scrolls. Are there any questions?"

No one raised their hand. There was an air of excitement amongst the group of 20 teams as they waited to begin.

"Alright" Katsuko said to the ninja behind her, "Do it."

Each of the shinobi with the scrolls then performed several hand signs before slamming their hands on the scroll in front of them.

"Summoning Jutsu!" they cried in unison. A great ball of white smoke appeared from each scroll. After it cleared 20 giant, dark brown Hawks stood there.

"Each team will now be blindfolded and dropped off at different locations in the desert by these hawks. Each location will be the same distance from the village. If you're all ready, lets get started."

As Sakura was being blindfolded she could hear Choji's heavy breathing behind her. He was clearly nervous.

"Choji stop that will you?" Ino whispered, sounding frustrated at her teammate "You want everyone to think we're weak?"

Ino went to go get their scroll and as soon as she was out of earshot, Sakura whispered "It's ok Choji your going to be fine. They wouldn't use this method if it wasn't safe."

With that, Sakura sat on the back of the hawk, just behind Ino and in front of Choji.

"Ok, good luck everyone", Katsuko said, "The Second Exam has begun!"

The hawk powerfully leapt off the ground, climbing quickly in the air and soaring higher. Sakura was beginning to doubt her words to Choji as she felt herself slipping while riding the hawk. They hadn't even been left on their own yet and the exam already felt like a battle for survival. Suddenly, the hawk dipped and hurtled towards the ground. Sakura gripped the bird hard to avoid falling before the moving suddenly stopped.

"Ok" a voice called out, which Sakura assumed was the nameless Chunnin who had accompanied them. "Here we are. You can get off now and remove your blindfolds. Good luck"

The hawk took off just as the team removed their blindfolds. Looking up into the sky they could see the other hawks flying towards the Village as well. Judging by the flight of the other birds, Sakura figured out the general are of several other teams. Judging by the look that she was making as she watched the birds, it seemed that Ino had as well.

"Well", said Ino, "you guys probably saw where those hawks came from. Whichever way we go, it's going to be long way to get to another team and that's assuming that they don't move in the opposite direction to us. What do you want to do?"

Sakura thought for a moment. It was a difficult decision as several factors had to be taken into account. Firstly, the desert itself is so vast and overwhelming. There's nothing of note to be seen for miles and the sand seemed to stretch out forever. It would be easy to get lost out here, where there was nowhere to hide.

"Well", Sakura began " I think we're best moving back towards the Village. As we get closer we are bound to run into other teams. If we keep going in a direction away from our target, we could stray too far and get lost."

Ino looked slightly bemused by this, but she nodded her head anyway.

"Yeah", she said, "that's just what I was thinking. The question is, which direction is the Village?"

Sakura was just about to answer when Choji spoke.

"As long as the hawk wasn't moving to purposely confuse us, we should be south – East of the Village right now. That means we should be moving North -West.

Sakura and Ino were stunned at this.

"Well, erm, yeah", Ino stuttered, "That sounds about right. Good job Choji, that's the direction we should go."

They began walking in that direction, trying not to go too fast. Even though they had a time limit, the last thing they could afford was to over exert themselves in the heat, as that would leave them vulnerable. They walked for the best part of a day and didn't see a single other team. The lack of landmarks made it feel like no progress was being made at all and tiredness was setting in. The sun was just beginning to go down, when Sakura heard something.

"You guys hear that?" she whispered, putting her arms out to stop her teammates. "It sounds like people are talking just past that sand dune."

The team slowly approached the dune, trying to be as quiet as possible. However, once they looked over all they saw was a lake of water. It looked completely out of place in the desert, although it wasn't surprising. It appeared to be one of the lakes that were set up but Sakura knew that they couldn't assume that.

"Before we go over, we need to make sure that the lake isn't an enemy trap", Sakura whispered, "We should send clones to check it out." Each of them made a clone and sent them over to the water. After they got there, nothing happened. It confirmed that there was no enemy trap and it was safe to get water from the lake. Ino led the team over to the water and they prepared to put some more into their flasks. Just as they bent down to do so, they heard a disturbance in the air that signaled only one think.

"Shiruken!" Ino cried, as Sakura and Choji blocked the weapons with Shiruken of their own. Two enemy ninja wearing Hidden Mist forehead protectors and black facemasks appeared from the sand.

"They were using a Camouflage Jutsu to blend in with the sand", Sakura said. She knew this was a possibility but also knew there was no way to check for this without a sensory type in their team.

"However", she continued, "We still have the advantage. It's 3 against 2 and we have to make that count."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that were at a disadvantage at all", came a voice from behind them.

Sakura spun around quickly and was surprised by what they saw. In place of the lake stood a boy who was also wearing a Hidden Mist forehead protector. He wore a purple sleeveless shirt, which matched his eyes, with grey pants, which matched his hair. He sipped from a water bottle before he spoke.

"My name is Suigetsu Hozuki and I'm going to be taking your scroll."


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Second Round Part II – Battle for Heaven and Earth

His tone was ominous and full of confidence.

_Whoever this guy is, he's trouble_ Sakura though, _the other two don't seem like anything special, but he's going to be a problem. We can't afford to let our guard down._

Suigetsu yawned and cracked his knuckles. His complete lack of fear about the impending battle was the scariest thing. He was in complete control of the situation and everybody there knew it.

"Now," Suigetsu began, "You have two choices here. Either give me the scroll willingly and you'll survive, or I'll kill you and take the scroll. Either way, I get what I want. What's important here is what happens to you."

After his speech he laughed. He laughed like a child who'd just been told a funny story. Sakura could see her teammates sweating beside her. They had good reason to be worried. However, Sakura just felt her anger rising at this. What were they so afraid of? Just because this guy knew how to talk himself up didn't mean they had to listen. She was reminded of the way that both Naruto and Sasuke had taken Orochimaru, a man who was so much more powerful than them. They attacked even though they were outclassed. Naruto showed no fear and Sasuke overcame his. Now it was time for Sakura to do the same thing.

"No way!" Sakura shouted, "We're not just going to give over this scroll without a fight. Now, why don't you put your jutsu where your mouth is and show us what you've got?"

This show of courage didn't exactly have the effect that Sakura had in mind.

"Sakura, are you crazy?" Choji quietly said, "your going to get us killed!"

Suigetsu let out another howling laugh.

"Even your teammates know you're outclassed. Ok then, if you insist. Boys"

Suigetsu motioned to his teammates, who until this point had remained silent. They nodded their heads and raised their hands to form a seal. They quickly followed that with multiple others in quick succession, before slamming their hands into the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu: Great Lake"

Suddenly, the entire area was covered in water and the trio found themselves stood on top of a huge lake. Suigetsu took a sip from a flask he had been carrying, savoring the moment.

"Ok then, you two stay out of this now, these are all mine" he said, and his teammates merely nodded at these orders. "Now, let's begin."

Suigetsu made a flurry of hand seals before shouting:

"Water Style: Water Shark Bomb Jutsu!"

A large mass of water in the shape of a shark appeared from the lake and charged at Sakura.

"Move!" she yelled and the team leapt aside, narrowly avoiding the jutsu. However, the water then rose into a wave that crashed into the genin and sent them flying into the sand, which now resembled a riverbank. Suigetsu reformed in the water with his arms folded.

"So this is all that the great Leaf Village can do? I have to say I'm disappointed", Suigetsu said. "Although, maybe it's not the village but just you. Your village is famous for clans such as the Hyuga and the Uchiha, not a pair of useless Kunoichi and a fatass."

Sakura smiled at this. This guy's arrogance was about to cost him. Sure enough, Choji screamed in anger and attacked Suigetsu, using his Human Bullet Technique. It was enough to put Suigetsu on the defensive and possibly distract him for a few minutes. Sakura had been hoping for this opportunity and turned to Ino to explain her plan. Afterwards, Ino nodded and said "Alright, we'll give it a try. It's the best chance we have."

Choji continued his assault on Suigetsu, but he was having no luck. He still couldn't control his technique enough to hit his opponent, who was now dodging with ease as Choji tired. Suigetsu stopped; clearly bored of the game he had created for himself. He smirked once more, before saying:

"Ok, this has been fun and all but it's time to end it. Water Style: Water Wall!"

A wall of water shot out from the lake just in front of Suigetsu and Choji rammed straight into it. Choji continued trying to break through, relentlessly attacking. However, as he hadn't been able to eat in quite some time his chakra was low and he eventually ran out. He returned to his normal form and was picked up by Suigetsu, who leaned in close to frighten his victim.

"Looks like your all done", he remarked, making sure to be as condescending as possible. "Now, I'm going to be beat the life out of you and I'm going to make those two watch."

Suigetsu looked over to the bank as he said it, but was surprised to only see Ino standing there.

"_Where's the other one?"_ he thought, just as a pair of hands appeared from the water, grabbing his ankles. Before he could react, Ino yelled " Mind Transfer Jutsu" and the technique instantly took effect.

"Ha!" Suigetsu yelled, "It worked. Ok Sakura, I'm in this creeps body. Give it your best shot so we can finish this."

Sakura jumped out of the water and gave Suigetsu an uppercut on his chin, which sent him flying into the air. Sakura then jumped ahead of him and pulled her arm back. She did her best to channel all of her chakra into her palm and released it as her fist made contact with his face. Suigetsu crashed back into the water and lay unconscious on top of it. Sakura quickly turned back to Ino.

"Did you cancel the jutsu in time?" she said, desperately hoping to hear an answer. If she didn't, then Ino would be trapped in Suigetsu's body until he regained consciousness, which would put them in trouble.

"Yeah", Ino said, "just in time. Good work Sakura."

Sakura let out a sigh of relief and helped Choji back to his feat.

"Alright Choji, I'll help you back to Ino first so we can treat your wounds."

Sakura was able to haul Choji over to Ino, who set him down onto the sand.

"Ok," Sakura began, "I'll go get the scroll from that guy's body and then we can get out of here."

"You fools, you didn't think it would be that easy did you?" came a familiar voice from behind them. Sakura turned back and was stunned to see Suigetsu standing there, sipping from his flask.

"I have to say, that was an impressive hit", he said, that smug voice of his emphasizing his delight. "Too bad your friend released her jutsu too soon. That gave me enough time to slightly transform my face to water to soften the blow before it came. I'm surprised you didn't feel it when you hit me."

Sakura scowled at this and looked away. She hadn't felt anything off because her gloves were already wet from being underwater. It didn't really matter now; they had to figure out what they were going to do next. Sakura noticed that the other two ninja on Suigetsu's team were still kneeling down with their palms on the water. It appeared that they needed to keep funneling chakra into the water so that the jutsu didn't wear off. Their best chance as to attack them, because there seemed to be no way to defeat Suigetsu while standing on water. He had too big of an advantage. However, Sakura couldn't see any way to reach the other two. Choji was out, so it was just her and Ino against him. Sakura could tell they only had one option. She stood up and raised her fists.

"Let's see how good you really are by seeing how well you do against me in taijutsu", she shouted, not really all that confident. Judging by his skinny arms, he probably wasn't that great at taijutsu and Sakura felt she could defeat him. However, it didn't seem likely that she would be able to test her theory. He had no reason to agree to this restriction and could probably end her in a heartbeat with another water jutsu. Still, she had to try.

Suigetsu chuckled and said, "Fine then, if that's how you want to play it. However, don't let this physique fool you. You'll find that I can chance this rather easily." Suddenly, his arms grew huge muscles that were probably not just for show. Sakura felt her stomach drop. If those muscles had as much destructive power as they appeared to have, then she had no chance.

"Let's go!" Suigetsu screamed and he ran full force at Sakura. Sakura stood frozen as he charged. There was nothing she could do now. She had done her best and it wasn't enough. She could very well die here, unless some kind of miracle happened. Then, just as Suigetsu reached her, Sakura felt a gush of air as a figure appeared in front of her. Ino pulled her back as the mysterious figure adopted a stance and yelled "Rotation!"

There was a blur of chakra that swirled around at incredible speed. Suigetsu couldn't stop himself and ran straight into it. The force of the chakra was unreal and it sent him soaring high into the air. Suigetsu was clearly irked at this twist in events, and he was further annoyed when he landed on a heap of sand rather than the water he was expecting.

"Hey!" he yelled, turning towards his teammates, "what the fu-"

Suigetsu's teammates were on the floor and there was a Kunoichi standing above them, wearing a pink shirt with her brown hair in two buns. The lack of water robbed him of much of his jutsu and he realized he was in trouble if this came down to a physical battle. He had just been hit with a Hyuga technique and he didn't feel like he could go up against the Byakugan in taijutsu. As he stood up, the Hyuga yelled "Lee, go!"

Another fighter appeared in a blur and before Suigetsu could react he felt another fist hit his face. This time however, he was not prepared and felt the full force of the impact. He continued to be attacked and he couldn't react to it. The speed of the strikes was incredible and Suigetsu couldn't even get his guard up. Finally, Suigetsu saw an opening and used it jump back. He had to assess the situation before continuing. He had not expected such trouble at these exams.

Suigetsu looked at his new opponents and saw that his chances of victory were slim. The Kunoichi was carrying a range of weapons and judging by the scrolls she was carrying she had plenty of more in reserve. Then there was the strange looking kid in the green outfit, who Suigetsu supposed was his last opponent. He was clearly a master of taijutsu with devastating speed. Finally, there was the Hyuga, who's Byakugan was already active. With no water around, Suigetsu knew he would be stuck with using taijutsu and he didn't think he could hack it against those two, especially with a long-range weapons expert to worry about. There was only one thing to do in this situation.

"Fine", he said, resigning himself to his fate, "here are the scrolls I have. Take them; I don't care about these stupid exams anyway. Later."

He threw the scrolls on the ground, before turning around and running away. He was banking on the Leaf Village's reputation for being soft so that they wouldn't come after him. He had more important goals than being a Chunnin anyway.

'Let's get him!" Ino yelled; clearly relived that back up arrived. However, Neji spoke before Ino could get carried away.

"No, that won't be necessary", he said, his quiet tones calming the situation. "He's retreated and we have what we need. Going after him would be pointless."

Sakura agreed with Neji, but she was concentrating on something else.

"Look at those", she said, "There are six scrolls there, three of each. He was able to defeat five other teams in the space of a day. That was no ordinary opponent."

"Yes", Lee agreed, "he was certainly impressive. I have a feeling that if we hadn't disabled his water jutsu, the victory would not have been so simple."

"In any case", Neji said, "we have the scrolls we need now. We should travel in a group of six to the finish. There are clearly tough opponents here and a bigger group would be very beneficial. So, let's get going."

The group set off towards the Village, with Neji's Byakugan acting as a far better guide than Choji's memory especially now that he was unconscious. Sakura reflected on another fight where she found herself being saved. Yet, she wasn't too down. She had fought as hard as she could against an opponent that even the strongest Genin admitted was tough. She could feel herself getting stronger and promised that next time, finally, she would win. She was determined to make sure that she would never have to be saved again.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Draw for the Final Round

Kakashi doesn't usually get nervous. In fact, he's probably one of the calmest shinobi in the village. However, while waiting the three days during the Second Exam, he was definitely feeling nerves. He spent most of the days staring out into the vastness of the desert, hoping to see the flash of a Konoha headband as it reflected the sunlight, or hear the echo of the loud arguments between the more energetic genin. He cared for all of them as if they were his own students and desperately wanted them to succeed. Of course, he cared a little more for Sakura, as she was his actual student. He was aware of her fragile emotional state and how it might affect her performance. He just hoped that her worrying over Naruto and Sasuke wouldn't hinder her too much.

Midway through the second day of the Exam, Kakashi heard a commotion at the entrance to the Village.

"There's people approaching", someone yelled, "the first team is arriving!"

Kakashi rushed to the entrance and was met there by the other Jonin.

"Do we know who it is yet?' he asked, his voice filled with both excitement and apprehension.

"Not yet", Shikamaru responded while yawning, "but I wouldn't get your hopes up. The Sand Genin know the desert well so it's most probably one of their teams. Besides, I've heard that no team not from this Village has ever completed this in less than two days."

As usual, Shikamaru was right. As the team got closer certain aspects of each person became clear. Kakashi could make out a giant gourd on the smallest person's back, and a huge fan being held by another. Just like in the last exams, Baki's Genin team had finished first. They didn't finish nearly as quickly as last time, but Kakashi suspected that was because of Gaara's personality change. His ruthless nature had been a huge contribution last time, as he disposed of his opponents quickly. This time, he was probably much more forgiving.

As the Genin reached the entrance, the Sand Shinobi rushed over to congratulate them. Having a team from your Village finish first is seen as a source of pride and a reason to celebrate. Given what had happened to the Sand Village in the past year, Kakashi felt that they deserved this moment. He just hoped they wouldn't be the only one's celebrating come the end of the Second Exam. Kakashi walked over to offer his congratulations to the team.

"Well done guys, your times in these Exams are certainly impressive. You should be very proud."

"Thank you", Temari responded, "although, it was a little harder than the last exam, even though this time it was held on terrain we are more familiar with."

Kakashi's nerves were heightened after this. If the Genin who know the desert struggled, how would the Leaf Genin fair?

"So," Kakashi began, "I was just wondering, did you happen to see any of the Genin from my village anywhere?" Kakashi smiled and scratched the back of his head, trying to not sound as desperate for information as he was.

"No, we didn't see any of the Genin from Konoha actually", Kankuro replied. "Although, Gaara said that there were a couple of teams not far behind us. We didn't investigate who it was but they should be arriving within the next half an hour or so, as long as they don't run into any trouble."

Kakashi and the other spectators waited patiently for the arrival of the other teams. He had already removed his headband and was scouring the horizon with his Sharingan. His range didn't reach that far, but he would at least be able to recognize the chakra of the incoming teams once they got close enough. Finally, after what seemed much longer than half an hour, 6 figures appeared. They were running towards the entrance at impressive speed, with one figure in particular leading the way. Kakashi focused and realized who it was. He let out a sigh of relief.

"Well guys", he said, looking towards the Leaf Shinobi, "it looks like it's two of our teams that are arriving. Team Gai is definitely one of them, and I think that Team 10 with Sakura are the others. They did it."

Eventually, the two teams made it to the finish line. The team from the leaf ran over to give their own congratulations.

"I knew you guys would do it" Asuma exclaimed, barely containing his excitement at his teams progress. Gai had teams streaming down his face as he embraced his team with a group hug, although only Lee responded with any enthusiasm at all. Kakashi waved at Sakura, who looked exhausted.

"Well," he said, "imagine seeing you here. Who'd have thought that frightened little girl who screamed at a genjutsu would be breaking records at the Chunnin Exams? Well done Sakura."

Sakura beamed at this, although she sighed after this. Kakashi didn't need a Sharingan to see that she needed some rest. After handing in there scrolls and confirming they had passed the exam, the Genin were allowed to retire to there rooms to recuperate, but not before being informed that they must meet with the exam organizers the next day.

Kakashi stood to the side as the Genin lined up in front of the Proctor for the Third Exam, a man by the name of Tora. The most exciting part of the entire exam process was about to begin. This time, only four teams had progressed; with Kurenai's Genin team being the last to finish, so there was no need for a preliminary round. The draw for the matches in the final round was about to begin.

"Ok", Tora began, "As you have all participated in these exams before I do not need to explain what comes next. Simply, you are to draw a number out of this pot I am holding and that number will determine whom your opponent will be. If there are no questions, then we will begin."

One after another, the Genin drew their respective numbers. The matchups were created and each of the participants could see their route to the final. They were given two weeks before the finals began to prepare. Kakashi smiled as he viewed the bracket. These exams had thrown up some interesting potential match ups, and he believed that everybody would be talking about these exams for years to come.

The matches shall be:

Neji vs Kankuro or Shino

Lee vs Temari or TenTen

Choji vs Ino or Sakura

Gaara vs Kiba or Hinata


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Rematch!

Sakura breathed a huge sigh to calm her nerves. She had just watched Temari defeat TenTen for the second time in a row, although on this occasion it had been a much closer battle. TenTen had learned from her mistakes of the past and used them to help her this time around. However, it was not enough, as Temari still emerged victorious, her long-range wind jutsu just too much for TenTen to overcome. Combined with Kankuro's victory over Shino in the earlier match, it meant that the Sand had defeated the Leaf twice already. That wouldn't be changing any time soon, as the next match was to be between two Leaf Kunoichi. Sakura once again must do battle against Ino, but the stakes are higher than ever. Her use if medical ninjutsu was superior to Ino's, yet it would not be helpful in battle. Ino was always regarded as the strongest girl in their year, something that Sakura was not allowed to forget. However, their last battle was a draw, meaning they went into their upcoming battle as equals.

Sakura made her way down to the arena. She looked around and was surprised by how similar it was to the arena in Konoha. The shape was the same and the spectators sat in the same place. The main difference was the actual battleground itself. Whereas the arena in Konoha contained grass and trees, the arena I the Sand Village was built upon sand and stone. Sakura frowned at this, realizing the advantage this gave to the Sand Genin, especially Gaara. However, she didn't ponder this for too long. After all, if she didn't give her all in the upcoming battle, she wouldn't have to worry about fighting anybody else. Sakura came to a halt in the middle of the arena, facing down Ino. They spent the next few seconds staring intently at each other, both determined not to look away. Even thought the Proctor had yet to say so, the battle had already begun. In the end, this psychological warfare ended in a stalemate as Tora cleared his throat and demanded attention.

"Alright, the rules are simple. You are allowed to use whatever techniques or weapons you want and you keep fighting until one of you gives up or dies. That being said, I can end the match at any time I see fit and declare a winner. My word if final and I will not tolerate any disobedience. Okay, any questions?"

At this point, Sakura reached into her back pocket and pulled out a pair of brown leather gloves. She smiled when she looked at them and instinctively looked up to the area high above the arena, where her master sat, eagerly awaiting the beginning of the match.

Tsunade shifted slightly in her seat, her body language betraying her unease.

"Lady Hokage", a Sand Jonin said, "are you all right? Can I get you anything?"

"No", was Tsunade's sharp reply, "I'm absolutely fine."

Technically, that was a lie. Tsunade was extremely worried about the events that were about to unfold. Her two students were about to face off in combat and possibly reignite the lingering hostility that still lay between them. Even though they both tried to deny it and acted like it wasn't true, Ino and Sakura had bonded over the past year. There was still a rivalry between them, yet the extremely tough training they were going through together had seen them turn to each other for support. Tsunade thought back to one incident in particular that highlighted their relationship.

"_Sakura, Ino, what do you call this? I ask that because it's certainly not what I told you to do. If I gave this medicine to a patient, it would be more likely to poison them then it would cure them. Also, I checked on those broken arms you were supposed to be healing this morning. You've done little more than turn them into fractures. You really need to shape up if you're ever going to make it as medical ninja. Now, I've got work to do, so you two just carry on trying to correct your mistakes."_

_Tsunade left the room in dramatic fashion. She didn't want to hurt their feelings, but she had high standards and expected the best from her students. As she walked down the hall, she realized she had left something in the room. Frustrated, she turned around and headed back. As she reached the door, she could hear tears. It sounded like Ino was crying and Tsunade felt a small pang of guilt. She didn't doubt her methods, but she still didn't like the effect they sometimes had. Before she could open the door however, Sakura began to speak._

"_Ino, it's okay. Lady Tsunade just wants to push us as hard as we can, so we can learn."_

"_It's not that Sakura", came the reply, "I just can't get this. I know it was my fault that the medicine didn't come out properly. I just can't get this; I should just give up now before I embarrass myself. I'm just useless."_

"_No your not", Sakura said fiercely, "You're the best Kunoichi to graduate from our class. You can perform jutsu I could only dream of and you've made amazing progress in such a short amount of time. All you have to do is believe in yourself as much as everybody else does. Okay?"_

_Ino grinned at this and nodded her head. Both girls laughed and carried on with their work._

Tsunade smiled to herself. _No matter what happens here, _Tsunade thought, _these two will still remain friends at heart. I have no doubt about that._

Sakura put up her guard as Tora raised his hands. She had to be prepared for Ino's attack the second the match began. Sakura knew that Ino wasn't going to be pulling her punches this time around.

"Begin!" Tora yelled, dropping his arms in a theatrical manner. As expected, Ino charged and went straight for the attack. Sakura was surprised by both Ino's speed and sheer ferocity. This fight clearly meant a lot to her and she was determined to win. Sakura ducked to dodge Ino's punch, and then quickly moved to block the kick that came straight after. Sakura did a quick backflip in order to create some room, but as soon as she looked up she saw numerous Shiruken flying towards her. Sakura drew her Kunai and deflected them, showcasing her impressive reflexes and speed.

_Enough of this, _Sakura told herself, _time to go on the offensive._

Sakura sprinted towards Ino, holding her Kunai to the side ready to attack. Ino drew a weapon of her own and the two collided in explosive fashion. The next few minutes were taken up by the sound of clashing metal and the sight of sand being kicked up around the arena. The crowd screamed in delight as the fight grew in intensity. The battle was completely even as both fighters gave there all. Finally, the movement stopped, as both tried to catch their breath. Sakura panted as she stared at Ino, who has doing the exact same thing.

"I feel like we've been here before", Sakura said, a smile escaping her lips.

"Yeah", Ino replied, "don't expect me to cut my hair this time, Sakura and don't expect to win either."

Ino charged again at Sakura, who stood her ground and waited for the onslaught to continue. She had a plan for victory, but her confidence in that plan was fading as time went on. She needed a large amount of chakra to pull if off and she was relying on Ino to make a move first before she could execute it. The longer the fight dragged on, the slimmer her chances became. However, just as Ino was about to attack she quickly made a hand sign in the shape of a circle. Sakura had a surprised look on her face at this. Ino smirked and this smile was not as sincere as the last one she had given.

_Didn't expect this, did you Sakura? _Ino thought. _I can now perform my jutsu while moving and I can execute it much faster. You have no time to react and this time you won't be able to break free from my control._

Just as Ino was about to complete her jutsu, Sakura let out a sigh. However, rather than sounding like a sigh of regret or of any kind of negative emotion, it sounded like a sigh of relief. Sakura then quickly smashed her foot into the ground. The power of the impact was much greater than Ino could have anticipated and it forced her to lose her balance. This caused her to send her jutsu into the sky as she fell backwards and her body lay motionless on the floor. Sakura smiled and walked over to Ino's body, breathing heavily.

"Proctor", Sakura began, "she's out cold."

Tora bent down to inspect Ino's body and seemed satisfied with Sakura's conclusion.

"Alright", he said, "Ino Yamanaka is unconscious and no longer able to move. Therefore, I declare this match over and that Sakura Haruno is the victor."

The crowd let out a huge cheer, with some sections even chanting Sakura's name. She just closed her eyes and took it all in. For the first time in her life, Sakura felt like she could make a difference. She felt like she was finally growing up.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Power of the Byakugan

"64 Palm!"

Kiba fell to the floor, defeated. Hinata's speed with the technique wasn't on par with her cousins Neji's, but it was still too quick for Kiba to deal with. His over confidence in his own abilities, and his underestimation of what Hinata was capable of, cost him the battle. She had hit all of his chakra points, and he was left unable to move because of it. The majority of the crowd was surprised at the outcome. The shy demeanor of Hinata when she first entered the arena contrasted with the confidence oozing from Kiba, which left most believing her defeat was inevitable. However, Neji was not surprised at all. The gentle fist style is incredibly dangerous when employed against another taijutsu user, especially when they don't have any kind of remarkable abilities of their own such as the Eight Inner Gates. Neji smiled as he remembered all of the painstaking hours Hinata put into practicing these techniques, and how it was finally paying off. However, he didn't have much time for reflection, as his name was called out as the next participant.

Neji entered the ring and stared down his opponent, which was Kankuro of the Sand Village. A puppet master, Neji knew he had to be very careful. He had clearly improved his techniques substantially, as Shino had been easily dealt with even though they had fought previously. Also, Neji knew his taijutsu style would be ineffective against puppets. He didn't have the destructive force to deal any damage to something made out of wood. While formulating a strategy in his mind, Neji raised his hands and put up his guard. He was eager for the battle to begin. He kept his eye on the Proctor as he raised his hand. As soon as it dropped, they would begin their battle.

"Begin!" Tora yelled, as he thrust him arm down with great intensity.

Kankuro needed no invitation after the Proctor had started the match. He threw open his scrolls and summoned his three puppets: Crow, Black Ant and Salamander. Within seconds they were completely under his control and became his weapons. Kankuro saw the veins around the eyes of his opponent which told him that he had activated his kekkei genkai; The Byakugan. Kankuro decided to test the abilities of this dojutsu and see t's defenses by attacking with all three of his puppets simultaneously. Unsurprisingly, as soon as they got close, Neji used his Rotation technique to repel them, sending the puppets flying in various directions. The sheer force with which they were repelled stunned Kankuro. He had thought that because he was in control of the puppets with his chakra threads, and because he was not being affected by the technique, he would be able to stop his puppets from being pushed away. He had to try to change his strategy, but what could possibly work?

_I know _Kankuro smirked, _according to the Intel we received from our last mission with Leaf Village, that defense of his was broken because the Byakugan has a blind spot. Let's see if I can find it._

Kankuro sent his puppets into the air, and then revealed hidden compartments inside each puppet. From those compartments, he fired Kunai and Shiruken directly at Neji, with the trajectory of the weapons covering much of Neji's vision. Neji then proceeded to use his technique again, repelling the attack with a great dome of spinning blue chakra. Kankuro continued to maneuver his puppets around, looking for his key to victory. Finally, he was rewarded. A single kunai breached the defense, forcing Neji to dodge. Even though the attack had failed to dal any damage, Kankuro had all he needed. He knew where the blind spot was now, and he had the rest of his battle planned out. Kankuro smiled as he thought about the acclaim he was about to receive. Defeating one of the Hyuga Clan is quite the feat after all and he wondered if the crowd would chant his name too.

_At least some recognition would be nice _he thought, _as it's pretty difficult to get that when Gaara's around. Anyway, it's time to end this._

Kankuro began by moving Salamander and Crow into a position close to Neji, making it appear that he was looking to fight in taijutsu 2 on 1. Kankuro was hoping that Neji would look to conserve chakra and not use his Rotation. Fortunately, that's exactly what he did. Neji used his speed and superior combat skills to keep out of harms way. Kankuro also positioned his other puppet, Black Ant, in a position where Neji could clearly see it, so that he wouldn't be suspicious of its absence. However, there was a certain thing missing that Neji surely wouldn't notice. The smallest leg of Crow, which was also a knife, was no longer attached to its body. Kankuro hid it beneath the sand on the ground; ready to strike once Neji was lured into the right position.

_Come on_ Kankuro thought, willing Neji to move where he wanted him to, _just a little further. Slightly to the right, back a little._

Finally, Neji moved into the right spot and Kankuro pounced. The knife went straight through Neji's blind spot and pierced his right shoulder. With Neji stunned by the hit, Kankuro put the rest of his plan into motion. He opened up Black Ant, to prepare for Neji's encasing. Next, he used Salamander to kick Neji up into the air towards his tomb. However, just before he reached Black Ant, Neji flipped himself upside down, so his head and arms were facing the ground. He made a sweeping motion, although it didn't do him any good. He still ended up inside of Kankuro's trap.

_So that's two out of two _Kankuro though, proud of himself, _guess the Leaf Genin haven't improved at all. Even their top guy has gone down pretty easily. Talk about a huge letdown. _

Up in the stands, Kakashi nodded his head as he watched the events unfold.

"Impressive", he said, "it was a trap that could be seen quite easily from up here, but in the heat of battle it wouldn't be easy to spot. He was able to figure out the Byakugan's blind spot and use that to his advantage."

Gai, who was stood next to Kakashi listening to his analysis, shook his head in disbelief.

"Yes", he began, "it was a brilliant strategy. That boy from the Sand Village is definitely Chunnin level without a doubt. His speed of thought and tactical knowledge is impressive. However, I can't help but think that Neji should have spotted that, especially with his eyes being as sharp as they are. I can't help but feel a little disappointed.

Kankuro let out a laugh as he moved his fingers inwards, so that he could close the casket and imprison his opponent within his puppet. However, it inexplicably didn't work. Kankuro then made the same movement again, only to find that it gave the same result.

_What's going on? _Kankuro wondered, suddenly panicking at the turn of events.

Neji smiled inside the still open casket, staring directly at Kankuro as he said, "Now it's my turn."

Neji jumped out of the coffin and onto the floor. There was still a throbbing pain in his shoulder, but it had been a necessary sacrifice in order to get into the position he was in now. However, Neji realized that the distance was still too far for him to get a hit in before Kankuro would be able to move his other puppets to defend himself.

_Well then, _Neji said to himself, _guess I'll have to use that new jutsu earlier than planned. _

Neji pulled his arm back as if he was going to throw a punch. Then, instead of clenching his hand into a fist, he curled his fingers back and thrust his palm forward.

"Eight Trigrams: Air Palm!"

He thrust his palm towards Kankuro, sending a vacuum of air towards him. The sheer force of it sent Kankuro flying back towards the wall. However, this was not intended to be the knockout blow. Neji was not an expert at the technique yet, but he was still efficient enough to deal some damage. However, Neji used the opportunity to move in and ran close to where Kankuro was. When his opponent was able to stand back up, Neji had already adopted his stance. He was slightly knelt down with one arm extending up towards the sky and the other facing towards the ground. Neji looked straight at Kankuro, who knew what was coming next but was powerless to stop it.

"Eight Trigrams: 64 Palms."

There was a flurry of strikes as Neji used the Hyuga clan's signature move to disable Kankuro's chakra flow. After applying the finishing strikes, Kankuro fell to the floor, his chakra flow having come to a halt. He was completely unable to move and he knew that the fight was over.

"The winner is Neji Hyuga from the Leaf Village" Tora said, still sounding unenthusiastic despite the excitement of the fight. Even so, the crowd seemed to disagree. The conclusion of the fight brought about the biggest cheer yet, as the crowd chanted Neji's name as their latest hero. Neji, however, took it all in his stride. He didn't care much for praise given by strangers. He just wanted to keep improving, to be as strong as he could be. He looked over as Kankuro was placed on a stretcher by the medics and watched as they walked right by him.

"Wait" Kankuro called out, stopping the medics in their tracks just in front of Neji. "How did you do it?"

Neji made sure he kept his face looking respectful. He didn't want to mock an opponent he just defeated.

"I realized that you were looking for my blind spot" he began, "and once you found it, I knew you were bound to use it for an attack. I then noticed that one of the legs was missing from your puppet and I located it hiding underground. I was already aware of your technique of sealing someone within that puppet, so I deduced that you would attack my blind spot and then seal me away. However, just before you could trap me inside, I used my gentle fist to disrupt the chakra in the threads between you and your puppet by funneling some of my own chakra into them, causing them to malfunction. After that, you know what happened."

Kankuro appeared shocked at the explanation, but smiled just afterwards. "No wonder some call you the most talented Genin ever to come out of the Leaf Village" he said, as the medics carried him away.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Gaara's Power

"Well done Sakura!" Lee yelled, running full pace towards her as she walked up the stairs towards the group of competitors. Sakura had just defeated Choji and advanced to the semi-finals. The battle had been tougher than she had expected, but Sakura had been able to come away with victory without any serious injury. This was good for her, as her next opponent was sure to be much tougher, whoever it was. However, for now Sakura knew her greatest challenge was to survive this encounter with Lee.

"Thank you Lee", she said, trying to sound happy about enthusiasm, "and congratulations yourself for defeating Temari. That was very impressive and it didn't look like it would happen."

"Yes!" he exclaimed, "it was probably my greatest victory yet. I –"

Lee had moved his arm just above his head as he spoke, which caused him to cry out in pain. It seemed that his battle with Temari had left him with more injuries than he was letting on.

"Apparently, I haven't recovered quite as well as I thought," Lee said, wincing as he did so."

"Lee, let me heal you. It doesn't look like the injuries are too serious, so my medical ninjutsu should be sufficient."

"Sakura" he laughed, "I don't need healing. A true warrior can still perform despite any setback. Anyway-"

"Lee" Sakura cut him off with a low and serious tone. "Your next opponent is going to be Neji. I know how important this fight is going to be for you. If you're not at your best, he'll destroy you."

Lee glanced over at his rival and teammate, who was staring intently at the arena, no doubt worrying about his cousins' upcoming fight. He turned back to Sakura, his face much more stern.

"Alright" he said, "I think healing would be for the best, thank you."

Neji had been listening to the whole conversation and let a small smile form on his lips as Sakura healed Lee. He was glad that Lee saw him as such a rival. It was both a testament to his strength and Lee's. He looked up into the stands and saw Kakashi and Gai standing next to each other, both watching the match that was about to begin below. He wondered how much their famous rivalry had an effect on their strength. His attention then turned to the match below. Hinata was about to take on Gaara and Neji was incredibly nervous. Gaara may have calmed since the last exams, but the fact remained that he had a terrible, bloodthirsty beast inside of him. Hinata would have to be very careful.

"Go!"

Hinata quickly jumped back to put some distance between herself and Gaara. Even though she was suited to close range combat, she knew that she needed to defend herself from a distance first. The speed of his sand is very quick and Hinata needed to gauge his abilities from a distance first. The situation reminded her of her fight against Neji in the last exams. She felt outmatched against an opponent who could very well kill her if pushed too far. This time, however, she didn't have Naruto to use for inspiration. She found her eyes drifting up towards the crowd but couldn't find anyone she could focus on. She felt so desperately alone in that arena and she could tell things were only about to get worse.

Suddenly, sand shot out from the gourd on Gaara's back and headed straight for Hinata. She had very little time to react and was just about able to move out of the way. The speed it moved was definitely faster than it was the last time Hinata had seen it, which she knew was bad news. Before she could catch her breath, the sand came back again, tearing towards her. She again dodged, but this time the sand caught her trailing leg and she fell to the floor. She let out a gasp, as the force of the sand was far stronger than expected. The stadium fell quiet, save for a few nervous mutterings. All they saw was a helpless child being taken apart by the Sand's top Genin. Gaara himself sighed as he watched her.

"That will you once he had", he said, "where has it gone? If you want to overcome me or any other obstacle in your life, you need to be more like him. You know who I'm talking about."

Hinata could almost see him now, she could almost hear him. However, sometimes almost is not enough. Gaara, despite his apparent sympathy, continued his assault as he sent another wave of sand towards her and this time she could not avoid it. The sand collided with her, sending her against the wall. She panted, totally defeated and wondering if all of the bad things people said about her were actually true.

Neji gripped tighter to the rail in front of him as he watched what was happening. He couldn't understand it, why was this happening again? She had come so far and yet it when it came down to it she was still allowing this to happen.

_No Hinata _Neji thought to himself angrily, _I'm not letting this happen. He may not be here to help you this time, but it does not mean you are on your own._

"Hinata!" Neji shouted, "Come on, your better than this. I already told you to believe in yourself so do it! I know you have what it takes, so it's time to show everyone else!"

Hinata felt tears coming to her eyes as she listened to Neji's plea. She realized she was not on her own, even if Naruto was no longer here. She could rely on other people for support and they would rely on her. She knew it was time for her to prove herself. So she picked herself up and waited for the next onslaught to begin.

She didn't have to wait long, as Gaara moved in. Hinata realized that she was unable to dodge the sand, which left her with one choice.

"Rotation!" she cried, as she was suddenly surrounded by a swirl of chakra. However, she was nowhere near as good at the technique as Neji, as she had only learned to master it just weeks before. This meant that the sand, rather than being thrust back, was just barely resisted. Gaara then moved his sand above Hinata, floating there ominously.

"Sand Bullets!" Gaara cried, and a succession of small balls of sand flew down at Hinata. It seemed certain that Hinata would not be able to avoid this attack. Her Rotation isn't strong enough to deflect them and she can't move fast enough to dodge. However, Hinata still had one more trick up her sleeve.

"Protective Eight Trigrams 64 Palms" she cried, and her arms moved around in a blur, sending out needles of chakra that pierced each of Gaara's sand bullets. She continued until all of the sand was back on the ground. The technique worked far better than her rotation, but it left Hinata tired out. She breathed heavily as she put her guard up again. However, the attack didn't come head on. Instead, the sand at Hinata's feat gave way and she fell to the ground. Next, Gaara moved his hands inwards and the sand fell back on top of Hinata, completely immobilizing her.

"I am Gaara of the desert" he said, "I can manipulate all sand in the area. This fight is over."

Tora agreed with Gaara and ended the match. The speed at which Gaara ended the match stunned the crowd and the rest of the competitors. Hinata just smiled afterwards. She knew she couldn't win, that was obvious from the start. Yet, she was proud of herself for picking herself up and not giving in and was happy about the support she received from others.

_Just you wait Naruto _she thought, _things will be different when you get back._


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Gifted Genius vs. Hard Worker

Gai nervously clapped along with the crowd at the conclusion of the match. It wasn't that he was overawed by Gaara's strength, which was undeniably impressive, but he was immensely nervous about the upcoming battle. His two students, Neji and Lee, were about to battle. Sure, they had sparred in training countless times, but this was different.

"Gai?" Kakashi asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's this match" Gai replied, "Since my team was formed, everything has been building up to this fight. It has been Lee's ambition since meeting Neji to defeat him in battle. As for Neji, ever since his fight against Naruto he's seen Lee in a different light. He sees him as an actual rival now. This fight should be one to remember."

"So, why are you nervous?" Kakashi asked.

"The outcome of this match could change the lives of either of them in a bad way" Gai said, menacingly. "If Lee loses, it makes it seem like all of his training has been for nothing. That's a crushing blow that's tough to recover from. However, if the reverse were to happen, think how that would damage Neji's psyche. He's the pride of the honored Hyuga clan, a genius fighter. For him to lose what's going to be a taijutsu battle against another less, shall we say, gifted Genin just a year after losing to Naruto? He could lose all sense of who he is. Despite the favoritism I might have showed to Lee in the past, I do care for both of my students. I'm just worried about what might happen to them."

Kakashi studied Gai curiously, and then gave what appeared to be a smile.

"Well", Kakashi said, "if our rivalry is anything to go by, then they should be fine."

Gai looked back at Kakashi with a shocked look on his face, before giving in and smiling as well. Why does Kakashi always have to look so cool?

Lee stared over at Neji across the battlefield. Finally, after all those years of training, Lee had his chance. He could finally prove to the world that, even without ninjutsu or genjutsu skills, he could be a great ninja as well. He didn't have any kekkei genkai or enjoy any advantages of birth. His sweat and blood had brought him this far and he was determined that it would see him accomplish the final step as well. This is no longer the time for talk or for dreaming. It is the time to fight.

Neji stared back at Lee, watching him as he prepared for battle. Neji knew what Lee was thinking. He'd known it since the first time they met. Lee wanted nothing more than to destroy him in battle. Neji saw it as a compliment that Lee thought of him as a measuring stick. In the past, Neji ignored Lee completely and saw him as nothing more than a pest. However, recently Neji had been looking over his shoulder, well aware that Lee was right behind him. He knew Lee would never have the same powers that he had, but Neji also knew that, right now, they were facing off as equals. He too raised his guard and prepared to attack. The fight he had been looking forward to for some time was about to begin.

Tora dropped his arm and signaled the start of the fight. Unlike the previous bouts, this one got off to an immediate, high intensity start. Both ran at each other at full pace, their speed so fast it was hard to keep up. In fact, the majority of the crowd was struggling to see what was going on. Occasionally they would see the sand kick up into the air, or hear the strained voice of one of the fighters. It was only the other ninja that could keep up and even then only just. However, a break in the fight finally came as Neji flew up into the air. Lee had successfully landed a kick and he took the opportunity to perform the Dancing Leaf Shadow as he appeared directly behind Neji. Next, he unwrapped the bandages on his hands and surrounded Neji in them. He turned both of them towards the ground, and as they plummeted towards it Lee yelled "Primary Lotus". Both drove into the sand and Lee stood back up immediately. As he looked down, he yelled out.

"What, where is he?"

All Lee saw was a small trunk of wood where he had expected Neji to be. He realized what had happened, and castigated himself for not realizing.

"Substitution", he said as he spun around. Neji stood there, staring back at Lee with a smirk on his face.

"You didn't think it would be that easy did you?" he remarked, as he raised his guard once more. Lee ran back at Neji once more, screaming as he did.

"Eight Trigrams: Air Palm" Neji cried, directing his attack at the onrushing Lee. The force of the vacuum caused Lee to fly backwards, however, he did not do so for long. Through sheer force, he was able to stop his motion and return to the ground, and he too raised his guard.

"It seems you have also underestimated me," he said, also allowing a small smile to cross his face. After another brief interlude, the battle began again, except with much more intensity. Their speed seemed to double as both let down any restraint they may have been showing.

Kakashi glanced over at Gai, who looked deep in thought.

"Say Gai", Kakashi began, "I was just wondering. Why hasn't Lee taken his weights off? He'd surely be faster than Neji if he did."

"Lee has taken his weights off" was Gai's reply, who was still staring at the match. "Neji is faster than you think. However, the longer this match goes on the worse for Lee."

"How so?"

"Well" Gai said, "Each glancing blow Lee lands doesn't deal too much damage. However, each glancing blow of Neji's will harm Lee so much more. Gentle Fist takes effect over time, attacking Lee's chakra network. He needs to come up with something fast."

"Rotation" Neji cried, sending Lee to other side of the arena. Rather than try to finish off Lee, Neji was clearly looking to get some distance, so he could rest a little. Lee also seemed to appreciate the chance to catch his breath.

_I can't win like this _Lee thought, _His hits are starting to take effect and I can't get past his rotation at this speed. I have only one option._

Lee crossed his arms in front of him making a cross.

_Second Gate: Gate of Healing: Open!_

"No!" Kakashi cried, "Didn't he learn from last time?"

"Actually, he has" Gai said, "He knows his limits with the Inner Gates now. He can use the 4th Gate for approximately 1 minute before his muscles will begin to tear. As long as he doesn't stay in that state for more than a minute, he'll be fine."

Lee yelled as he opened the last gate he could.

"4th Gate: Gate of Pain: Open!"

Lee's skin turned a deep red colour, his eyes were completely white and his veins were throbbing around his forehead. However, the most noticeable change in Lee was the green aura that surrounded him.

"Time to end this!" Lee yelled, and he ran towards Neji. However, Neji appeared ready for it, as he activated his Rotation once again.

Lee stood back, waiting for the technique to end.

_As I expected, _Lee thought, _however_, _you can't keep up that technique long enough and as soon as you stop, I'll destroy you Neji._

Finally, Neji's Rotation ended and Lee pounced. He moved quickly in front of Neji and before he could react, kicked him up into the air. Lee stopped for a quick second, just watching the scene unfold before him. He finally had Neji at his mercy and was just seconds away from completing his goal.

_This is it _he said to himself, _I am about to reach my goal. I hope your watching Gai Sensei._

Lee jumped in the air after Neji and made sure he ended up facing his rival. However, once he got up there, Neji hit him with his palm. The force of it was incredible and far stronger than any hit Neji had landed before.

"Last Resort: Eight Gates Assault!" Neji yelled, and hit Lee a further three times, who was still stunned at what had just happened. Both of them landed on the floor of the arena, breathing heavily. The crowd was stunned at what they saw.

"What?" Kakashi said, "Why is Lee back to his normal form? Why did he turn of the gates when he had at least another 20 seconds?"

Gai just looked stunned.

"I didn't think it was possible" he said, "Neji, when did you learn to do this? I've never heard of anyone that could do it, not even the best of the Hyuga."

Lee looked at his body, unable to figure out what had happened. He looked towards Neji, who was struggling just as much as Lee. Yet, when he noticed Lee, he smiled.

"You think you're the only one that learned a technique just for this fight?" he said. "I used my Gentle Fist to restrict your Inner Gates. They are all closed again and you won't be able to open them for some time."

Lee was distraught at the news. The Inner Gates were his trump card, his way of defeating Neji. Now, his rival had a way of taking that away from him.

_What's the point? _Lee thought, _I have no way of beating him now. I'm tired from my use of the 4__th__ Gate and I didn't even get any results from it. I can't beat Neji; he is just better than I am._

Lee looked up, ready to quit. However, when he saw Neji, his resolve returned.

_He actually looks much more tired than I do _he thought, _he looks like he is barely able to move. That technique must take up a lot of chakra. I may be tired and my speed is severely reduced but if I can get in one more hit, it's over. _

Lee ran at Neji with more force than ever before. He wasn't moving at even half his former speed, but the look on his face showed the strain he was under.

_If he reaches me, it's over _Neji thought; _I don't have enough chakra for Rotation. I can barely move so I can't block his attack. Guess I have one option. I will have to use all of my chakra for my final attack._

"Eight Trigrams: Air Palm!"

Neji forced the vacuum of air towards Lee once again. He was able to put the same amount of force into the attack as before, but because of Lee's weakened state it had a much greater effect. Lee toppled backwards as the air connected, forcing him to the ground. Lee lay there, unable to move. The effects of the Gates, as well as that last attack, finally caught up with him. Neji was on his knees and struggling to stand.

"Come on" he said under his breath, "If I could just stand up, I've won."

Neji fell back to his knees as he almost stood up. He felt like lying down and giving up. The sheer pain of keeping himself off the floor was unbearable. Just then, he looked over at Lee.

_Lee wouldn't give up, _Neji thought, _He would keep going until he stood. If he didn't, he'd probably give himself some kind of punishment. Well, my punishment would be not advancing to the final and I cannot allow that. So, come on Neji, just one push!_

Neji forced himself up and stood on his feet. He was gasping, and wincing at the pain. However, he was stood up while his opponent lay unconscious on the ground. He looked towards the Proctor, begging to hear those words.

"The winner" Tora said, "Is Neji Hyuga."


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Student of the Hokage

The crowd screamed louder than they had ever done before. Both of the fighter's names were chanted at once and small arguments broke out all around the arena as everybody debated about who had been better in the fight. Amongst this excitable backdrop, the medics made their way out to the centre of the arena, in order to collect the injured rivals. Small gasps of pain escaped the lips of the battered and bruised boys as they were lifted on to stretchers and carried off for their wounds to be treated. Both of the stretchers were held side by side, and Neji turned to Lee, who had regained consciousness.

"Lee", he said, the pain obvious in his voice, "I'm sorry."

Lee smiled as he heard and then opened his mouth to reply.

"What do you have to be sorry for? You beat me in a fair fight. I guess you're still just better than I am."

Neji shook his head; despite the pain he was experiencing.

"I'm not sorry for today", he whispered, "I'm sorry for the way I used to treat you. I never took you seriously and degraded you at every turn. If there's something I've learned from Gai Sensei, it's that you should treat your rival with respect, which is something I haven't done. You deserve better than that and if I didn't know that before, I definitely know it now."

Lee passed out again just as Neji finished talking, but he did so with an even bigger smile on his face. He did so knowing that this fight was just the start of a long running rivalry.

"Wow" Tsunade gasped, as she watched the two Genin from her village be carried off.

_It's going to be tough to top that one _she thought, _but now comes a more important fight. Well, it's more important to me. Come on Sakura, you can do it!_

Sakura walked out towards the arena for the third time that day. She couldn't believe she'd made it this far, but she wasn't quite satisfied yet.

_Naruto and Sasuke have both fought Gaara, _she thought, _and they both won when they did. Well, I'm not about to be upstaged by those two. It's time to prove to everyone that I'm worthy of being the Hokage's apprentice._

Sakura walked out into the centre of the arena and stared across at her opponent. Gaara stood with arms crossed, staring right back at her. His look wasn't intense or angry, as most would be when faced with a battle. He looked more inquisitive and sympathetic as he stared back at her.

"Sakura" he began, "I've been hoping to speak to you. Have you heard from Naruto?"

Sakura stared back at Gaara, trying to think of a reaction.

_He doesn't see me as a threat at all, _Sakura thought, as she clenched her fist, _He only cares about Naruto. Well, I'm going to make sure he regrets that._

"This isn't the time" she growled, "We have more important business ahead of us. If you want to talk about Naruto, we can do it later. Right now, we're enemies."

Gaara's expression didn't change after Sakura spoke, which just infuriated her more. She raised her guard and took a deep breath.

"Begin!" Tora yelled, starting the match.

Sakura screamed as she ran towards Gaara, running faster than she had ever done before. The sound of her voice highlighted her frustration as she bore down on her opponent, who just stood there. Sakura pulled her fist back and slammed it towards Gaara with incredible force. However, her fist just made contact with a wall of sand. Undeterred, she continued to pound away at Gaara, releasing her frustration with her screams as she did. Each time she met the same result.

"Wow!" Ino exclaimed, as she watched the fight in the stands, "look at Sakura go! She's doing better than I thought."

"She's not doing well at all" Shikamaru said, who was deep in thought. " Her attacks are useless, he's blocking her at every turn. She's wasting her energy and he'll finish her off easily at this rate. What is she doing?"

Gaara finally knocked Sakura away with his sand and she slammed into the ground. She stood back up and dusted herself down, as Gaara stood with his arms still folded.

_Either I'm not as fast as I thought, or his sand is quicker than it was _Sakura thought. _Either way, this taijutsu isn't going to work, not if I can't land a hit. My ninjutsu isn't strong enough to compete with his sand, so I have one option._

Sakura quickly made her hand seals before saying to herself before muttering the name of her jutsu under her breath. She stayed completely still with her eyes closed just afterwards.

Gaara watched Sakura make the seals, readying himself for whatever ninjutsu was about to come his way. However, after a few seconds he realized that nothing was happening. For the first time, his facial expression changed to one of surprise.

_Is there some kind of problem here, or does it just take time for her jutsu to take effect? _He thought, readying himself for either possibility. After another few seconds of waiting, Gaara noticed the effort in Sakura's face. Her eyes were scrunched up tight and she was sweating. Gaara continued to watch her as could see that she was shaking slightly and muttering something under her breath. When watching her lips move, it appeared she was saying "Come on".

_So _Gaara thought, _Looks like something has gone wrong. Well, no point letting this drag out any longer than it has to. It's time to finish this._

Gaara spread his arms out as he commanded his sand to attack. The sand split into two, with both walls attacking from opposite sides. As the sand approached Sakura her eyes shot open and showed her fear. However, instead of the sand hitting Sakura it went straight through.

"What?" Gaara cried, "What's going on?"

Just after that, Sakura's disappeared as if she had been caught in a vortex. Next, when Gaara looked around him he saw that there was a huge tree wrapped around him, restricting his movement.

"Genjutsu!" he said, as he realized his mistake. "Now my sand is out of the way as well, I'm vulnerable!"

"Yes you are" Sakura yelled, as she reappeared just in front of Gaara. She then smashed her fist into Gaara's chin, which sent him soaring into the air. Sakura then jumped ahead of him and met him at the top. She pounded him several more times, with each chakra infused strike dealing more damage. Finally, Gaara was sent into the floor and Sakura landed as well. She stood there, panting, as she stared over him.

_Just as planned _she thought, _He didn't realize that I had cast a genjutsu, so he let his sand attack. He underestimated me, so he was completely defenseless when I attacked. Although, that genjutsu combined with those strikes means I'm very low on chakra now. Still, it was worth it. _

Just then, Gaara stood back up. Sakura was stunned to see that he could still move, but she was even more shocked when she saw his face.

_Sands falling off _she realized, _that means he was using his sand armor all along. Why would he use that if he thought I wasn't a threat to him?_

Gaara then raised his arms and the sand that Sakura was standing on shot out of the ground. The sand wrapped itself around her body, completely stopping her from moving.

After a minute of struggling, Sakura gave in. She knew that she couldn't move and that she had no way of getting out of this trap. She also knew that, if this had been a serious fight, she'd have been crushed a long time ago. With that, Tora declared the match over, with Gaara the victor.

"Damn" Sakura yelled, not caring about who heard her, "I got caught the same way Hinata did. I'm such an idiot. Guess I'll just remain a burden for the rest of my life." She felt tears begin to form in her eyes as she said that, despite her efforts to fight them off.

Gaara walked over to her slowly, although his stance was full of meaning.

"You are not weak" he said, "In fact, I was very wary of you from the beginning. I don't use my sand armor for just any opponent and you are one of only five people to have ever hit me. The only thing that holds you back is the lack of belief in yourself. Remember, Naruto wouldn't be where he is now if it wasn't for his self confidence."

Gaara then walked back towards the exit, his pace even slower than before. As Sakura watched him, she was that he wasn't walking like that by choice. She had actually hurt him and effected his movement. She smiled as she realized this and as she reflected on Gaara's words.

_If someone as powerful as him can praise me for my strength, then I can as well _she thought, as the sand around her fell down after Gaara released his jutsu.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Strongest Genin in the Village

After Sakura hobbled out of the arena to receive treatment, Tora went to address the crowd. He knew that what he was about to say would get a bad reaction from the crowd, as it always had done. In a way it had become tradition for the Third Exam and was the duty of the Proctor.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" he shouted as the audience quieted down, "There will now be a two hour break as both fighters are healed ahead of the final match. The match will be between Neji Hyuga of the Leaf Village and Gaara of the Sand Village. We ask for your patience as we prepare for this battle. Thank you."

Predictably, the explanation was met with jeers from the crowd and the odd projectile was thrown. Tora simply turned around and let the other staff on hand deal with the outcry.

_I best get some rest as well _he thought; _I have a feeling that this fight is going to be one to remember._

Tsunade was deep in thought as members the Sand Village's Head Council joined her on the platform.

"Lady Tsunade" Baki said, "Can we get you anything?"

"No thank you" she replied hastily.

"That was quite the impressive match," Baki said, trying to force a conversation. "Your student performed brilliantly, catching Gaara in a genjutsu is not easy. In any case, the next match should be very interesting as well."

Tsunade smiled at this, appreciating the effort.

"Yes, I am very proud of all of the students from the Leaf Village. Sakura even surpassed my expectation truth be told. Although, I know I can't promote everyone to the rank of Chunnin. Have you decided who is getting promoted from your village?"

Baki nodded. "Yes we already know who's becoming Chunnin, although the outcome of the next fight might determine if there's a higher status to be given."

Tsunade looked skeptical at this, but decided against pursuing it any further. What the Sand Village wanted to do was there own business, so it was best for her to stay out of it.

"I think I'm going to pay a visit to the Genin from my village that are still with the medics" Tsunade said.

Tsunade excused herself and left the balcony, heading to the medical room.

_So, _Tsunade thought, _Are the Sand really considering that boy for the role of Kazekage? Or am I just jumping to conclusions there? Either way, they need to appoint a leader soon. Even though we don't plan to attack, I can't say the same about the other villages. _

Neji sighed as the medical ninja continued to heal his wounds. He couldn't believe the amount of damage he took in his last match and was surprised by how long it was taking to heal.

_At least I'm not as bad as Lee, _he thought as he heard his teammate cry out again. He also glanced over at Sakura, who hadn't stopped smiling since she had walked in. He had learned she had lost her match, but she wasn't down about it at all. He guessed she was like Naruto in that respect; always finding positives even in defeat.

"Neji!" TenTen yelled as she walked through the door. She ran over to hug her teammate, who was a little unsure how to respond. He figured a simple pat on the back would do. The other Leaf Shinobi who weren't injured followed TenTen through the door. They gathered around to congratulate Neji and to keep Sakura's spirit up, although they soon found out that the latter wasn't necessary.

"So Neji" Shikamaru said, smirking, "Think you have what it takes to take on Gaara? Sakura's the only one who's been able to lay a hand on him all day and that didn't do much good."

Neji smiled at the small taunt. "I guess we'll have to wait and see" he said, teasing the group who wanted to know more about his strategy."

Shortly afterwards, Tsunade walked in alongside Kakashi and Gai. The arrival of the senior members of the village saw the Genin quite down a little, but spirits remained high as they continued to excitedly discuss the upcoming match. Gai took Neji aside to discuss tactics, but it mostly involved Gai telling Neji how important youth was to victory.

Tora later walked into the room and all eyes turned towards him.

"Alright Neji" he said, "It's time. If everyone else could please make their way back to the stands, we are ready to begin."

Everyone else walked out slowly, shouting several "Good Lucks" as they went. Just as she walked out the door, Hinata turned around to face Neji.

"Neji" she began, "I just want you to know that I never could of got to where I am today without you. You really are a great person and you deserve your praise as the pride of the Hyuga Clan. Also, remember that, whatever happens out there, were all behind you. Good luck, brother."

Hinata walked out before Neji could respond. He couldn't help but smile and he could feel the resolve in him strengthening.

_All right, _Neji thought, _it's time to show why they call me a genius. _

Neji walked out into the arena alongside Gaara. Neither of them was very talkative and preferred to walk out in complete silence. Once they reached the middle of the arena, they separated and stood opposite each other. Both stared intently, realizing that this fight would be different from the rest.

"Okay" Tora said, "The rules for this match are the same as any other. I expect you both to obey the rules and respect my position as Proctor. Alright, then you may begin!"

Surprisingly, Gaara quickly went on the attack. The sand flew out of his gourd towards Neji, who quickly dodged. The sand was relentless and Neji was struggling to keep away from it.

_I'm not going to get anywhere at this rate, _Neji thought, _I'm going to have to force him to defend if I'm to have a chance. _

As soon as Neji saw an opening, he thrust his palm back and yelled:

"Eight Trigrams: Air Palm_"_

Neji fired two jutsu at Gaara, whose face turned to one of shock. He quickly put up his guard, as if expecting the attack to connect. Luckily for him, his sand was able to reach him in time.

_That jutsu _Gaara thought, _it appears a lot faster than before. Was he holding back every other time he used it? Either way, I can't be careless with my sand now I know he has a long-range attack that can move at that speed. _

Gaara sent his sand after Neji again who stood his ground.

_Enough running _he said to himself and he adopted his stance.

"Rotation!" he yelled, executing his jutsu. The whirl of chakra was much more powerful than Hinata's and was able to push the sand away. Neji then ended his rotation and fired his Air Palm once again. This time, the sand couldn't move fast enough and it reached its target. The air was able to push Gaara back and dealt him significant damage. However, Neji wasn't done. He raced towards Gaara ready to land an attack. Yet, before he got there the sand was able to guard Gaara.

_Seems I'm still not fast enough to get around that stand _Neji thought, _I'm going to have to think of another way. If it comes down to it, I'll have to use that technique. _

Kakashi and Gai stood above the arena, fixated.

"He did well to get past that sand" Kakashi said, "But the jutsu he uses isn't going to land a knockout blow. A taijutsu user is always going to struggle to beat someone like Gaara. I don't see what Neji is going to do here."

Gai nodded his head, but smiled afterwards.

"Don't underestimate Neji" he said, "Yes, for someone he uses mainly taijutsu, Gaara isn't an ideal opponent. However, he has overcome the odds before and I know he can do it again. Lets just wait to see what he has up his sleeve."

Neji tried many different combinations of attack in order to break Gaara's defense. Although, it soon became obvious that his attacks weren't going to work.

Then, Neji was caught. He spent too much time trying to break Gaara's defense that he didn't think about his own. As soon as he stopped moving, a dome of sand rose up out of the ground. Neji was caught off guard and was buried by the sand.

"Sand Coffin" Gaara said, encasing Neji. The crowd gasped, stunned that Gaara had been able to capture Neji. It was especially a surprise given that Gaara's last two opponents had fallen the same way. Just as it looked like the match had ended, Neji screamed out "This isn't over". Then, the sand began to crack as Neji continued to pound it with his Gentle Fist. Eventually, it gave way and Neji was freed.

"He broke my Sand Coffin" Gaara moaned, "No one has done that before. Your very impressive."

_All right, I have no choice _Neji thought; _I'm going to have to do it. This really isn't a technique that suits me very well and I don't know how well my body will hold up. This is my only choice. _

Neji crossed his arms and adopted a familiar pose.

"Sorry Lee" Neji whispered, feeling slightly guilty that he had stolen this technique.

"Eight Inner Gates: Fourth Gate; Gate of Pain; Open!"

Neji's skin turned red and his eyes completely white. His usually calm face was now appeared full of anger and energy. The ominous green aura flowed from him as he prepared to strike.

However, Gaara had not wasted his time waiting for Neji to open the Gates. He remembered the technique and as soon as he saw the stance, he had sent his sand powering towards Neji. By the time Neji was ready he was surrounded.

"Rotation!" he cried, and once again there was a dome of chakra. This time, though, the colour was a mixture of green and blue and the force was much greater. The sand was flung much further than last time and Neji had a clean run with increased speed. He ran towards Gaara, faster than could be seen.

_He must be using that armor of his. I'll have to use 128 palms this time. The first 64 will disable that armor, and the other 64 will shut off his chakra. Even with this speed, it's a lot to ask. It's going to be tight with the speed of that sand._

Neji reached Gaara and started his attack. He continued to pound away as the sand flew back to it's master. Gaara took a beating and his armor was broken in no time. Finally, the sand reached its target and stopped Neji's assault as he was forced backwards.

"Damn" Neji said, under his breath. "I could only close 60 of them. 4 chakra points remain open. However, his reduced chakra flow should slow the speed of his sand, so with the Gates I should be able to get past his defense. Yet, I can't stay like this for much longer. I have to move now!"

Neji ran at Gaara, who was struggling to stand. He watched Neji approach.

_My sand can't block this _he thought, _I have to stop him before he gets here. I have to use the sand on the floor. I don't know if I can time this right with the speed he's moving at. Just have to hope I can do this._

Neji got closer to Gaara, who continued to stare at his feet. Finally, he was able to use the sand to grab Neji's leg, but the hold wasn't as strong as he'd hoped. Neji continued to move, stumbling as he did.

_I must not fall _Neji thought, _not now that I'm so close. _

_He has to fall soon or it's over _Gaara thought, trying his best to tighten his grip. Finally, Neji reached Gaara, but as he did he fell. His fall was towards Gaara and Neji pulled his arm back ready to strike.

_If I can just fall far enough, I've done it. _

_If I can just keep him far enough away, I've won. _

The crowed gasped, as the battle came to its stunning conclusion.

Tora stared at the two boys and knew the match was over.

"This match has finished" he said, "And the winner is"


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: And the Winner is…

"Gaara!"

There was a small pause as the crowd took in what had happened. Then, they erupted with cheering. The noise was deafening as the Sand Village celebrated the fact that one of their own had triumphed in the exams.

"Gaara! Gaara!" they chanted in unison, applauding their newfound hero. Gaara himself had already sat down, stunned at what had taken place.

_He missed, _he thought, _he was just inches away from hitting me. That was the hardest fight I've fought since Naruto. I can barely move, never mind stand. _

He then looked up to the ground and listened to what they were saying.

_What are they saying? What could it be that's making them chant like that? Is that? Is that my name? Are they chanting…. For me? _

Temari and Kankuro ran on to the arena and lifted Gaara up on their shoulders. He wasn't sure what to do, so he just sat there, dumbfounded.

"Well done Gaara" Temari beamed, "We're so proud of you."

_Proud? They are proud, of me?_

"Th- Thank you" Gaara muttered, still unsure of what to do or say.

While this happened, Neji regained consciousness, as he was lifted onto a stretcher once more. He looked over at Gaara and couldn't help but smile.

_I may have lost, but I'm glad I lost to you. We've both changed because of Naruto, that's true, but I can tell you needed this win far more than I did. Hopefully, your life is better from here on out. _

Neji was brought towards the medical room, where his friends quickly surrounded him. They spent hours making sure he was okay, asking the medical ninja questions about his condition and, despite his protests that he was fine and didn't need it, comforting him about his loss. After a while, Neji felt a little annoyed at all the constant talking, but couldn't find it within himself to stop it.

_Naruto, this is all your fault._

Tsunade sat in the room with Council members from the Land of Fire. With the exams now completed, it was time to deliberate on who should gain promotion from Genin to Chunnin. Tsunade had already outlined whom she thought deserved promotion and the council members were debating about the merits of each candidate.

"Well, we certainly agree on the first two candidates you've chosen. However, the third candidate, we're not sure. The candidate certainly showed promise, but-"

Tsunade had stood up and smashed her fist into the table, breaking it in half. The way she let her temper take over sometimes is what made some believe she was the wrong choice for Hokage. Although, no one could doubt her passion.

"I am Hokage!" she yelled, "What I say goes. This candidate will become Chunnin whether you like it or not. At the end of the day, you are just advisors and I don't really need to listen to you. So accept it, my mind is made up."

Tsunade stormed out of the room in dramatic fashion. The elders stared sternly at the door, for sighing.

"Sometimes, I think we made a mistake appointing her. Oh well, her decision is made. Looks like we're appointing three more Chunnin this time. The most to ever come out of one exam."

Sakura couldn't keep her concentration as she listened to the Proctor's reflect on the exams. She was stood lined up with the other Genin who made the final exam, waiting to find out who would be promoted to Chunnin. As with most ceremonies, there were plenty of guest speakers having there say, which seemed to add nothing to the occasion except tension. Nevertheless, Sakura was still dreading the announcement. Had she done enough to earn the title of Chunnin?

Finally, Baki returned to the front of the group to speak.

"The time has now come" he said, his gravely voice adding to the nervous feel of the occasion. "I will announce the Sand Genin that have earned promotion and the Hokage will announce those from the Leaf that have done likewise. The first person to be promoted is: Temari!"

Temari turned bright red as she slowly walked towards Baki. She was given her flack jacket and joined the ranks of the other Chunnin, who had all gathered to the side.

"Kankuro!"

Kankuro acted much more cocky, as if he was expecting promotion. He took his jacket and headed towards the Chunnin. He turned back to face Baki, ready for the next announcement.

"That is the last of the Sand Genin to be promoted to Chunnin."

Conversation suddenly broke out amongst everybody that was gathered. How could Gaara, who won the entire tournament, not be promoted?

Baki smiled at the confusion he had created.

"Oh yes" he said, "Gaara. We decided that a promotion to Chunnin was not sufficient enough. We would like to promote you to Jonin."

There was an unexpected roar as everybody clapped to celebrate. Gaara took everything in his stride, hiding any pride he may have had in himself. He walked over to join the Jonin that were stood behind Baki, who welcomed him with open arms.

Sakura clapped along with everybody else, but she could feel her stomach tying itself in knots. She just had to get promotion! Finally, Tsunade stepped forward to announce the Leaf Village graduates.

"Not to put a downer on things, but I don't want any of the Leaf Genin thinking they are going to be Jonin." The joking manor that Tsunade said the line in drew a small laugh from the crowd, although the Genin didn't find it quite so funny.

"The first person to be promoted, is Neji Hyuga"

Neji walked up towards Tsunade, with Gai's enthusiastic celebrations ringing in his ears. He grabbed his flack jacket, thanked Tsunade and headed towards the group from the Leaf.

"Rock Lee has also been granted the rank of Chunnin"

Lee's celebration was in great contrast to Neji's subdued thanks. He ran up to the Hokage at full pace, his hands in the air. As soon as he received his jacket, he ran over to Gai, who was crying. Their private celebrations were so loud they had to be asked to quite down.

"The final person to become a Chunnin" Tsunade began, clearly looking to heighten the tension. Sakura closed her eyes, and found that she had her hands together in prayer.

"Is Sakura Haruno"

Sakura took a second to take it all in. She wanted to laugh, cry and scream all at the same time. Walking up to receive her jacket was like a crazy dream. Kakashi had walked out from the group to give Sakura her jacket, and he held it out so she could put it on straight away. After slipping it on, Sakura felt so right. Kakashi moved so that he was right next to Sakura's ear, and whispered

"Look in the top pocket"

Sakura moved her hand to the pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. After unfolding it, Sakura realized it was a photo of Team 7. It wasn't the one that sat on her bedside table though. It was a photo that was taken just before the last Chunnin Exams. Sasuke and Naruto were clearly arguing about something, probably something trivial. As she stared over it, she remembered the dreams they had that day. She cried again, but she didn't stop the tears from coming. She let them fall down her cheeks and she let out a laugh.

"Well guys" she said, "I guess I'm going to have to wait for you two catch up to me now." She put the photo back into the top left pocket, right over her heart. She patted it once and then turned to join her fellow Chunnin.


End file.
